She's the Man
by Beautiful-Dark
Summary: Spitfire AU, my take on the movie She's the Man. Artemis wants to play soccer on her father's team, alongside her boyfriend Cameron. But what will happen when her twin brother Apollo (Jade) takes an unplanned trip to London and wants her to cover for him? What happens when she meets her new roommate, Wally West? Will be some hints of Chalant and Supermartian further on. (OOC Roy)
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: Hello everyone! This is a AU and my take on the movie She's the Man, YJ style! I couldn't help but notice nobody else had done it yet so I decided it had to be done for the good of mankind. **

**Disclaimer: I do not own Young Justice or the movie She's the Man.**

* * *

Artemis gaped at the blonde man from her place at the living room entrance. "Dad! But you _promised_ me!"

There was the scuffling sound of her father making his way out of the kitchen holding a large can of beer. "Sorry baby girl, but most promises men make are always broken." He sneered and flicked on the television, sitting himself down in his worn out couch, he didn't look at her as he added, "Remember that as daddy's tip on life."

"You can't do this to me!" She exclaimed and stomped her foot to show her annoyance.

Lawrence smirked in such a condescending way, Artemis had to refrain from fly kicking him in the face. "I just did baby girl," his eyes drifted to her before returning to the soccer game blaring through his small T.V. "Now run along to your mothers house, she should be expecting you. Wouldn't want her to worry that I've kidnapped you, now would we?"

Artemis glared at him. Turning on her heels she picked up her rucksack full of clothes and stomped towards the front door, but not before pulling a face directed to the back of his head.

"I'll see you next weekend, princess." He called out, taking a swig of the amber liquid just before she slammed the door on her way out.

Lawrence Crock was a weapons grade asshole. It was hard to believe she actually shared the same genetics as that pig. God, no wonder why her mom left him.

All she wanted to do in life was play soccer. It was her biggest dream, to be able to play on her fathers team along side her boyfriend, Cameron. Was that too much to freakin' ask?

Unfortunately for Artemis, her dad A.K.A. 'Sportsmaster' was a sexist prick and didn't think she should take part in such a "manly" sport. He thought she wasn't good enough and should stick to playing dress up like a real 'lady', just like her mother continuously pushed her into doing, by wearing hideous dresses and attending any debutant meetings or parties.

Thing is, that shit just wasn't Artemis, no matter how much Paula wants it to happen.

She couldn't blame her mother, the poor woman was lonely, divorced (although Artemis couldn't help but think it was the best thing for her) and was barely managing to raise two children. She's just trying to do what she thinks is best for her only daughter, since her twin brother Apollo, likes to rebel and do whatever he pleases, which always ends up leaving their mom in pieces.

He was a total moron, but she couldn't help but love him.

With a sigh, she unlocked the pine green jeep her mom bought for her eighteenth birthday last month, and slid onto the leather seat, placing her bag on the passenger side. She jammed the key into the ignition and sped off down the road, heading for her mothers house in Gotham City.

* * *

"Mom?" Artemis called out as she entered the foyer of their large house, shrugging off her coat and kicking off her black boots. "I'm home!"

"Artemis, honey, I'm in the living room," her mothers raspy voice drifted down the hall. After she hung her coat in the wardrobe and moved her shoes neatly by the door, she joined her mother.

Then groaned at the sight before her.

The dark haired woman was sat in her wheelchair, holding a salmon pink dress, every inch of it covered in ruffles. She flashed Artemis a hopeful smile as she shook the disgusting thing in front of her.

"I am not wearing that ghastly _thing_." She deadpanned, crossing her arms over her chest. "Mom, you know I have a no ruffles policy."

Her mother's face dropped into a frown, at the same time she placed the dress neatly in her lap.

"I'm sorry, but it seriously looks like Dr. Zoidberg took one look and up chucked all over it."

Paula opened her mouth to argue, but was cut of as her brother came sliding down the banister, landing with a loud thump.

"I totally agree with little sis, that is an awful color, and definitely doesn't suit her complexion." He murmured and slung his arm around her shoulders, grinning like the cheshire cat.

Wait a second. Apollo was siding with _her_? Usually on one of the rare occasions he did, it always ended with her doing him a huge favour. She stared at him with a sceptical look. He winked. Artemis gave him a look that said "I don't trust you" before distastefully removing his arm.

"Artemis, just do this one thing for your mother, please?" Paula asked as she ran her hands over the pink silk in adoration, that was until her face twisted into a sneer as she spoke, "All I want to do is rub it in those other womens faces, especially Melisande!"

Artemis scrunched her nose at the thought of Melisandes daughter (her arch nemesis), Talia al Ghul-who just so happened to be her brothers girlfriend.

Pushing aside all thoughts of the prissy bitch, her eyes softened and she mumbled, "If it'll make you happy." Bending down and pressing a chaste kiss to her forehead. "But let me take that ugly excuse for a dress back and buy a different one."

The older woman nodded her head eagerly until a horrified expression crossed her face at the thought of her daughters taste in clothing.

"And don't worry, I'll take Zatanna to help me pick it out, okay?" She reassured, before her mom had an heart attack.

Sending a quick glare in her brothers direction, she jogged up the stairs and opened her bedroom door.

* * *

"Oh my God, eww. _No_! Doesn't she know that color will totally wash you out?!"

Artemis rolled her eyes.

"Zee, that _isn't_ the problem here!" She grumbled into the phone, twisting on her bed to get comfortable.

"Oh yeah, I forgot. Your aim in life is to become a man, therefore, no dresses." The raven haired girl replied in a flat tone, Artemis could picture the younger girls face puckering up in displeasure.

"Zee," she growled in warning. Best friend or not, she will bitch slap her into next week.

Zatanna sighed and said, "Alright I'll come and help you choose a dress that will make you look like the sexiest sex kitten there ever was!"

Artemis rolled her eyes (she was doing a lot of that today) and said goodbye, flinging her phone on the pillow beside her.

Jesus why was everything _and everyone_ so crazy in her life?

* * *

**E/N: Leave a review and let me know if I should carry on or not!**

**Love,**

**~Beautiful-Dark~**


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: Holy shit. All the reviews, follows and favourites! I love you all! I really hope this story exceeds all your expectations :)**

**Enjoy, my little pretties.**

* * *

"No. Absolutely _not._"

"Artemis, please. Just this one time!" He begged, knotting his fingers in his jet black hair, the aggravation radiating off of him in waves. "You said you'd help me anytime I needed it!"

"No! This isn't like all the other times, what you're asking me to do is freakin' _big, _Apollo." Artemis said as she rubbed her temples, feeling a migraine coming on. She couldn't concentrate properly and he wasn't helping with all the secrecy. She looked up and caught his gaze, "And why the hell are you wanting to travel all the way to _London?_"

"Because I just have some...things to take care of." He muttered, averting his eyes away from hers. Artemis raised an eyebrow. "Alright, fine! My band and I are doing a gig out there on Saturday night."

Her eyes widened. "I'm gonna' risk my ass just for a stupid _music concert_?!"

"Hey, this _"stupid music concert"_ is my biggest _dream_!" Apollo defended, his face projecting the hurt he felt at her words.

Artemis froze and stared at him. She knew all about having dreams so close you can reach out and grab it, until some asshole comes along and crushes it into tiny little pieces. She didn't want to do that to him, _and _be a dream crusher just like her pathetic excuse of a father.

Besides this could possibly work to her advantage.

"Okay. Okay I'll do it." She agreed. Her brother made his way towards her with his hands spread out wide, but Artemis held up her index finger and stopped him in his tracks. "But I swear to God, this is the last time I'm ever doing something like this for you."

"Thank you so much, little sis," He said as he pulled her in for a hug. "I don't know what I'd do without you."

"You better love me forever, you big jerk." She relaxed into his hold and patted his back softly, then tensed at his words and grumbled, "Will you stop calling me "little sis", you're only a minute older."

Apollo laughed as he gently broke off the hug and lifted his rucksack off her bed, "Artemis, I'm still older." slinging it over his shoulders, he added, "You're seriously the best sister in the whole world, my love for you just kills me," He smiled and kissed her on the cheek. "Oh, and if you have any problems with dad or that ass-face boyfriend of yours, I'm only a phone call away." And began to climb out of her bedroom window.

She nodded her head, then frowned in confusion when she saw him hanging over the window ledge, his hands barely supporting his weight. "Umm, Apollo? What's wrong with taking the front door like any normal person?"

He looked up and grinned, his chocolate eyes filled with mischief. "I'm not normal."

* * *

Kicking her feet up, Artemis flicked through the pages of her Cosmopolitan magazine as she waited for Zatanna to arrive, since her mom had left for a well needed spa day.

Apollo had texted her early this morning to say how he had arrived in London, and gushed about how amazing it was (rub it in, why don't you). Then promised to bring her back a souvenir, told her he missed her already and he could feel their twin bond strengthening from being apart (whatever the hell that meant, the weirdo).

Oh, and there was something about her being the best twin sister in the whole universe and that he loved her more than he loved himself (which was an awful lot, so that meant sarcasm was way overused).

After giving up on trying to find something interesting to read other than this bullshit on _'__How to get the guy of your dreams: in three easy steps!', _she strolled into the kitchen and pulled out the chocolate spread from the cupboard above the cooker, then began spreading the sticky substance over two slices of bread, her mouth watering at the sugary smell as it consumed her senses.

It was way past lunchtime, and she needed some sort of indulgence_**.**_

Just as she was about to take a large bite into chocolatey heaven, the doorbell decided it was time to go off.

Great timing, Zee.

With a silent promise to her snack that she'd be back, Artemis sprinted down the hall and flung open the door, only to have a small body thrown into her arms that almost caused her to fall on her ass.

"Zatanna, I-I can't..._breathe_!" She managed to choke out, her face crushed into the younger girl's shoulder.

"Oops! Sorry, A!" Zatanna giggled and released her friend from her death grip, tucking the loose strands of her wavy hair behind her ears sheepishly. "Its just that I've missed you!"

"Yeah, yeah. I missed you too."

"So what was the emergency you wanted to tell me about?" She asked with a smile as she set herself down onto the cream colored couch, her hands playing with the feathered pillow beside her.

Artemis held up a finger and rushed back into the kitchen, picking up her sandwich and sat on the couch opposite her best friend.

How was she going to explain this exactly?

"Ermm, right. Well, see the thing is..." The blonde began, and took a large bite of the food in her hands as she mentally tried to figure out how she was going to break the news. She could feel the weight of Zatanna's gaze as she watched her every movement with a frown.

"I'm going to turn myself into a guy." She sped out, her mouth full of food.

The raven haired girl blinked slowly, then let out a loud cackle, her laughter echoing throughout the house. She began wiping tears away that were streaming down her face. Once Zatanna had composed herself, she straightened in her seat and blew out a long breath.

"I'm sorry, I think I heard you wrong, honey. It almost sounded like you said that you're going to become a man!"

Artemis slowly nodded her head, her lips spread into a meek line. "That's because I kinda' did."

Zatanna visibly paled and scrambled over to sit beside her, she placed a hand over hers and gave her an awkward smile. "Listen A. Babe, I know I said your goal in life was to become a man, but I didn't actually mean for you to go ahead and do it, you know that, right?"

"Oh God, Zee! I'm not a transsexual!" Artemis chuckled as she watched the relived expression cross her friend's face. "Apollo's taken off for a gig in London with his band, and wants me to cover for him. And since they cut the girls soccer team, I decided it was the perfect opportunity to try out Gotham Academy's team as a _guy _to play in the upcoming match against my dad's team at Happy Harbor Academy."

There was a low whistle. "But babe, that's a real big risk you're going to take. What if you get found out, I mean, how the hell are you gonna' those"-Zatanna's hands flew to her own breasts and wiggled-"huge boobs you've been blessed with?!"

"I'm calling for special back up." Artemis smiled and picked up her car keys off the coffee table, swinging them around in her hands. "But before I do that, I have to go and see someone first."

* * *

**E/N: Okay so the next chapter could possibly take a few more days to upload as I still have another two stories on the go :P hopefully it shouldn't take me too long. **

**(Constructive criticism is appreciated too, if you think I need it)**

**Love,**

**~Beautiful-Dark~**


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N: Hey guys! I guess it didn't take me long to upload, huh? Well anyway I hope you like this chapter! Oh, and I apologize if I get anything wrong with any American words or terms (I'm British and everything's spelt so bloody different and urgh!) Just point it out to me, please.**

* * *

After making a short phone call to her boyfriend and arranging to meet up somewhere local, Artemis slid into her jeep, Zatanna hopping in the passenger seat beside her.

"So...where is it that we're going to, sugar?" Her friend asked as she clapped her hands together excitedly.

"I'm taking you_ home_, then I'm going to see Cam." Artemis said and twisted the key into the ignition, the engine roaring to life. "There'll be no _we _on this one."

Zatanna made a look of disgust at her boyfriend's name. The younger girl had always despised him ever since they'd gotten together two years ago after meeting through her fathers soccer team. Okay, he may have insulted Zee about her passion for magic tricks and wanting to follow in her fathers footsteps by becoming an amazing magician.

Over the years, Artemis had learned that no one insulted Zatanna Zatara or her father, and got away with it.

Therefore Cameron was most definitely on her _"To Turn Into A Flee"_ list that she kept for when she improved in her magic skills. (That's no joke, Artemis had actually found it hidden in that innocent looking purse she carries around with her).

"Urgh, don't worry. I've changed my mind, I don't wanna' go and see that flee bag." She murmured and flicked down the mirror visor in front of her, running her fingers through the tangles in her silky hair. She looked at Artemis out of the corner of her eye and shivered, "He gives me the creeps! Not to mention he looks like a total serial killer."

Artemis ignored her and turned right at the traffic lights, she wasn't that far from Zatanna's house (thank God she lived in the same area). Swinging another right, she parked outside the back of Zatara's World of Wonders.

"Thanks for the ride, A." The young magician said as she opened the door and stepped out onto the pavement. "Be a doll and make sure you give your boyfriend a kiss with your fist for me, okay?" She asked with a malicious smile.

Artemis laughed and shook her head. "If it will make you feel better." Then drove off when her friend turned around and entered the shop, heading for Star City.

* * *

Tapping the leather steering wheel rhythmically, Artemis glanced around at the empty car park of Lindsey's Coffee Shop, looking for any sign of her boyfriend. She had wondered whether or not she should go in and order a nice latte, but then that would leave her sat awkwardly inside by herself.

Why was he always late? She still had a very lonely Gotham application form waiting for her, begging to be filled out on her bedside table. It was almost nine and since it was mid September, the sky was already a deep blue with various stars scattered across the dark canvas.

There was a soft vibrating sound of her phone from its place against her dashboard. Picking it up, she opened her unread message.

_From: Jerk-Face_

_To: Little Sis_

_Hey there, little sis! Just wanted to let you know that I'm on the London Eye...and you're not.(Hahaha, are you pissed off yet?) Good luck with college on Monday, your life truly sucks. I'll be sure to text you every time I'm doing something truly amazing (bet you're really pissed now) :D _

How _dare_ he. Who does he think he is? This was not acceptable. And Artemis wouldn't stand for it.

Clicking on the reply button, she began to type out a rude message to tell him he could shove it all up his own ass if he thought she was going to stand for his bullshit, when suddenly a loud knock against her window made her jump three feet in the air and land into the passenger seat.

Clutching her chest as she attempted to control her erratic breathing, Artemis glared at Cameron, who was doubled over laughing at his successful prank. Swinging open her door, she locked her car and stormed her way around the other side, her hands resting on her hips as she waited for him to finish, very tempted to carry out Zatanna's request.

"You should've seen your face, Angel!" He spluttered.

"You won't_ have_ a face when I'm finished with you, Mahkent." She growled, and stalked across the car park, pulling open the coffee shop's door and finding a two seated table, sitting down with a scowl.

This was not how she'd planned on starting off their get together.

"Can I take your order, honey?" A soft voice asked. Glancing up, Artemis found a small woman in her mid fifties, her slightly gray locks scraped back into a bun.

She smiled weakly, "I'll have a medium latte with a Boston cream doughnut, please."

The woman nodded, with out looking up from her notepad she said, "Are you waiting for someone?"

"Yeah, but don't worry about him."Artemis said with a snort. The older woman chuckled knowingly, and tottered her way back into the kitchen.

Call her childish, but she really didn't like being sneaked up on, and he _knew_ that.

For some strange reason Artemis couldn't shake the weird feeling that someone was watching her. Turning her head slightly, her gray eyes traveled over the few customers sat at different corners of the room, until they landed on a pair of forest green. Letting her gaze wander north, she found a mop of bright red hair, styled messily over his forehead. He had specks of freckles along his cheeks and the most amazing smile she'd seen in a while.

This guy was gorgeous.

Mystery guy was sat in the corner of a large booth, with a raven haired boy sat beside him to his left who was making exaggerated hand movements as if explaining something exciting. To his right there was a dark skinned man, with his white blonde hair in a buzz cut (which oddly suited him) listening to the other boy with a genuine smile. Opposite them there was another raven haired man, except this guy looked like a body builder and could probably knock out a mammoth with one punch, who was rolling his eyes at what was being said.

"Alright I'm sorry, baby." Her boyfriend's breathless voice snapped her back into reality, and she swung her eyes to meet his, those cold blue eyes sparkled with mirth. "It was just kinda' hilarious to watch, ya' know?" He said sliding down into the empty chair.

"I really _don't_ care." She snapped, her hands balling into tight fists as she attempted to rein some sort of control over her runaway temper. "Look there _was_ a reason I called you."

"Okay...what's up, baby?" He asked, puzzled.

"So I'm guessing you know how the girls soccer team got cut, right?" Cameron gave her a hesitant nod, Artemis toyed with the folded napkin beside her as she carried on, "Well, I was wondering if you'd talk to my dad about getting me a place on the guy's team instead."

There was a long and silent pause, before the twenty year old burst out laughing, causing at least several pairs of eyes to land on their table. He finally composed himself and dried his eyes with the back of his navy blue sweater.

He gave her an amused look and said, "You're honestly not serious, are you?"

Artemis frowned, her eyebrows furrowing. "I'm deadly serious, Cam. I don't understand why you're finding this so hard to believe?" She wanted to slap that condescending look right off his face. It reminded her of Lawrence. "You know its my dream...I've told you countless times before." Her voice taking on a quieter tone, almost a whisper. And she hated it.

"Wow." Was all he said, then picked up his jacket that was draped over the back of his chair and made his way towards the exit. Just as he hauled open the door, he angled his head to face her and scoffed. "Call me when you've found your sanity, babe." And left without a second glance back.

Artemis stared at the swinging door. That bastard had just left her, alone. Not to mention he'd made her look like the biggest fool in front of all these people.

Oh, God. Were those tears blurring her vision?

No, no,_ no._ She would not cry because of that worthless piece of shit.

He was just like her father. A dream crusher.

A warm hand found her shoulder and gently squeezed. "I'm sorry it took so long, sweetie." The older woman placed a piping hot cup of latte on the table, along with a delicious looking doughnut.

"I just didn't want to bring it out while that _awful _young man was here, it might have given him a reason to stay." She added with a frown.

The blonde inclined her head and gave her a grateful smile as she wiped away her stupid tears. "That's fine, and thank you." Pulling out the correct amount of money from her purse, and sliding it into the waitresses outstretched hand.

"You're very welcome, child." The woman replied as she slipped the money inside her apron pocket. Then pointed a finger and shook it playfully. "If I were you, I'd dump that boy like a hot potato!"

That got Artemis to laugh. "Oh, don't worry. He'll find out sooner or later." Picking up the chocolate covered dough as the woman left, and took a large bite out of it, trying not to spill any of the creamy vanilla filling down herself.

Once she had finished, she took her latte and walked out to her jeep, sipping the warm liquid as she went. Climbing in, she buckled up and drove out of the car park.

Pulling a left, she passed the Save- Big grocery store and sped over the suspension bridge, coming by Gotham City Observatory and finally turning right at the local park she pulled up outside her house.

Quietly closing the door behind her, Artemis crept up the stairs and sprinted across the hall into her bedroom, not even bothering to turn on the lights in case her mom was still awake and wanted to interrogate her on her whereabouts.

She took off her jeans and sweater, throwing them haphazardly onto the carpet and tugged on her cotton pyjamas. Then flung herself onto the double bed and snuggled under the comforter.

"Good night, Artemis." Her mothers highly amused voice floated through the walls, slightly muffled.

Cursing under her breath, she mumbled out a quick reply and buried her face into the pillow.

* * *

"You want me to _turn_ you into your _brother?_"

It was barely half eleven and Artemis had already picked up Zatanna earlier this morning, and was now currently standing in the staff room at the back of the hairdressers, trying to explain her proposition to one of her oldest friends.

"Yes, Roy. I know you can do it!" She replied, exasperated as she watched him file his nails.

The redhead rolled his eyes, scoffing. "Well of course I can do it, I just don't think you can pull it off, honey." Looking up from his handy work, he smirked. "You're brother is a total _hunk_. Whereas you've hardly got any meat on you at all."

"Mmm, he's so right. Forget Sun God, your brother is a _Sex God._" Zatanna agreed with a giggle, fanning her face.

Artemis glanced between both of her friends with a vacant expression as they squealed and shared a high five. She shook her head. "Okay, I'm going to pretend I never heard you say any of that."

Walking over, she then placed a hand on Roy's forearm. "Now will you please work your magic? For me?" She asked as she glanced up at him with big doe eyes. His face softened.

"Oh no. Don't you dare pull that face with me, missy! Its not going to"-Zatanna hooked onto his free arm and did exactly the same, both girls batting their eyelashes slowly-"...Work." He finished with a sigh.

"Urgh fine, you win! Now get your cute little butt in that chair!"

* * *

"Oh my gosh, A."

The blonde scratched her jet black wig and looked down at her now flatter chest, a gray jersey covering up any sign of the bandages. "What? What's he done, Zee? Has he drawn a dick on my face, _again?!_" She questioned, glaring at the redhead.

"No." Zatanna batted her hand away, rolling her eyes. "I think I'm a little attracted to you right now, is the problem. My poor womanly hormones are all over the place!"

"Me too, babe." Roy interjected, pointing down south on his body. "I think I'm getting a bit uncomfortable in these-"

"_Roy!_" Artemis shrieked, cringing at the image he created in her mind. That is _not_ something she wanted stuck in her head. She began scratching the wig again, jostling it around as she did so.

"This thing is so damn _itchy_! Don't you have another one?"

"It wouldn't _be_ itchy if you'd have just let me cut your hair and dyed it black! Then there would be no _need_ for a stupid hair piece. Besides, its the only one I got."

"Never mind, I'll learn to love it." She said, wrinkling her nose at the thought of him chopping off all her long, golden locks.

"Okay, let me see if I got this." Roy said and planted both hands on his hips. "You've planned a two week's trip for Paula out in Vietnam to visit family, Lawrence doesn't give a shit about you anyway so there's no alibi needed for him, and I'm going to play 'daddy'?"

Artemis nodded, picking up her purse and throwing it into Zatanna's open hands. Scurrying over, she pecked him on his cheek and promised a phone call on Monday morning for them to meet up before classes.

Her and the young magician casually strolled out of the hairdressers, ignoring the curious glances they were getting from the customers.

"Are you really going to do this?"

"Yep." She said, popping the 'p'. Artemis grabbed her shoulder and hugged her friend closer, squashing them together as she added in a teasing tone, "Just think about it Zee, I'll be with you all day, _everyday_. You'll never miss me ever _again._" Zatanna groaned.

"I can hardly _wait_."

* * *

**E/N: I'm not even sorry about what I did with Roy! When I was thinking about who played the gay best friend, he fit **_**perfectly. **_**  
**

**Reviews make the world go around :) **

**~Beautiful-Dark~**


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N: Thanks for all the lovely reviews, I'm glad you love my sassy gay Roy. He's simply amazing. **

**Enjoy! (Drop a review, please!)**

* * *

"Oh, for the love of God. Just park _here_, Roy!" She exclaimed, fed up of waiting for him to park the car somewhere in the parking lot. It had already been ten _long _minutes so far.

"Don't shout at_ me_! This was all _your _idea, Missy! So you can _deal_ with one of my many mental breakdowns, seen as there'll be _plenty_ more in the future!" He retorted, glaring.

Artemis ignored his drama queen antics and put in her brown colored contacts as soon as the car came to a stop. Blinking to lodge them in place she turned to face the twenty two year old.

Roy gasped. "Its scary how much you look like your brother right now."

"That's exactly what I wanted to hear." She said with a grin.

"Remember honey, inside every girl, there's a boy." He said, then cringed at his choice of words. "Wait, that came out wrong. But, you know what I mean."

She rolled her eyes, suppressing a bubble of laughter. "Yeah, yeah. I'll see you later, _dad._" Roy snorted in a form of reply as she swung open the door, stepping out of the car and headed through the big black gates.

Just as she entered Gotham Academy's lobby, Artemis received a text message and opened it as she carelessly walked through a bunch of cheerleaders, earning herself a few curse's.

_From: The Fabulous Roy Harper_

_To: Missy_

_Oh and try not to kill anyone today for me, babe. I have a very busy schedule and I really don't need to clean up any of your shit, or bury any dead bodies. Be a good little boy. Hugs and kisses! xox_

She clicked on the reply button and typed out a short message.

_From: Missy_

_To: The Fabulous Roy Harper_

_I can't make any promises. I'll be sure to call for back up if I have any problems with shoving the body in a storage cupboard ;)_

And sent it before sliding her phone back into her blazer. Now that she was inside the guys dorm, she was suddenly having second thoughts. What if she couldn't do it? What if she got caught?

Artemis followed the directions on her map and turned left down a long corridor filled with rooms on both sides.

"No. I can do this." She reassured herself as she passed a group of boys, their music blaring through some pretty impressive speakers. "I am a _dude._" Her chocolate eyes scanning each of the different numbers and letters nailed above the doorways. "I'm a _bad-ass hunky_ dude!"

She paused outside a large, deep red door._ B037_. Glancing down at her room key, she noticed it had the same code. It was now or never. Taking in a deep breath and checking her wig was still in its place, she pushed open the door and took a hesitant step inside.

The first thing she found after she closed the door were the same four guys she saw at Lindsey's Coffee Shop in Star City, two days ago.

And God, they were all hot as hell up close. She sensed there was going to be some struggles in the future with her and the terrible habit she has of oggling.

The gorgeous redhead with the amazing green eyes was the first one to give her a bright, welcoming smile. "I'm guessing you're my new room mate?" He asked as he held out a hand. "I'm Wally West, soccer player." His smile widening.

Artemis reluctantly slipped her hand in his, desperately trying to avoid his gaze. "Arte-_Apollo,_ Crock."

Wally grinned, pulling away and gestured to his friends behind him. "These guys are all in the soccer team, too. They're also our neighbours, so they'll probably be in here most of the time."

The dark skinned man with the white blonde hair stood up and crossed the space between them. "My name is Kaldur'ahm, however, you can call me Kaldur. I am the soccer team captain." His eyes were a beautiful shade of sea green that Artemis couldn't help but gasp at, praying he didn't hear. Evidently not, as they shared a short handshake and he sat back down.

"Connor Kent." Came the deep voice of the guy who could probably kill a mammoth. He held up a hand in a awkward wave, in which she returned, frowning.

"Ahh, ignore him. He's the broody one of the bunch." The guy with the slightly longer raven hair said with a snort as he stood in front of her. "Hey the names Dick, Dick Grayson." Taking her outstretched hand in his.

Artemis' eyes widened. She _knew_ that name.

"What's wrong?" He asked, puzzled. Pulling his hand away.

"I _know_ that name." She murmured, her eyes finding his. And she definitely knew those blue eyes_ anywhere._ "You were one of the Flying Grayson's, weren't you?"

It was that moment all her locked away memories came flooding back at a rapid speed. Artemis remembered all the sleepovers they had together, baking cookies with his mom...and failing shamelessly. That time she broke her arm when she was five and he told her everything would be okay because he was a superhero, and that he'd save her.

She also remembered that about five months after his ninth birthday, his family had died in front of his very eyes when performing a trapeze routine at Haly's Circus, caused by some sort of mob boss. She'd heard he had been adopted by some rich multi millionaire and never heard from him since. Artemis had thought she'd lost him, and honestly thought she'd never see him again. It had been _eight years_ and she barely recognised him, except for those eyes.

Dick stared at her and cleared his throat, bringing her back to the present. "Yeah...I was. How'd you know that?" He asked skeptically, frowning.

"My best friend-I mean, _my sisters _best friend back in kindergarten had the same name."

A look of recognition swept past his face. "You're twin sister is Artemis Crock." It wasn't a question. Artemis gave one curt nod of her head.

"Man, I haven't seen her in ages. This is all pretty whelming," He mused, his blue eyes flickered with sadness and met hers. "Tell her I said hey, would ya'?" She gave another nod, this one more awkward than the first. Slightly curious as to why he said _whelming._

"Wait, wait, wait. You have a twin sister named_ Artemis?_" Wally asked as he looked up from a textbook in his hand, his eyes sparkled with amusement.

"Do you have a problem with that?" She growled and narrowed her eyes in a clear warning. Wally raised his hands in surrender, taking her hint and backed off, but not without letting out short bursts of air through his nose as he silently chuckled to himself.

Artemis was beginning to dislike the redhead, no matter how attractive she found him.

Attractive guys with ugly personalities was a big no, no. She'd already been there, done that, and even got the crappy t-shirt to prove it.

"So, uh, when do the soccer trials start?" She asked no one in particular as she dropping her duffel bag onto the free bed and began to unpack her belongings, careful not to show any of the 'girly' clothing she'd packed as Zatanna advised.

"Tomorrow afternoon, I think." Wally said, shrugging a shoulder. He sat up from laying on the bed and twisted his head to look at her, raising an eyebrow. "You play, too?"

"Yeah, center forward." She replied, pulling out her uniform for tomorrows try outs.

He nodded his head and gave her a reassuring smile. "Well, good luck for tomorrow buddy." There was a chorus of good luck's from the other guys, to which Artemis gladly thanked, knowing she was going to need it.

"Newbie, the headmaster wants to see you in his office!" A tall and gangly looking boy with jet black hair and pale skin burst through the door, sneering at her.

"Excuse me? Just who the _hell_ are_ you?_"

He didn't look that much older than her.

"Klarion Teekl, were _are_ your manners?" Dick teased, tutting as he lifted his head from the screen of his phone.

"Shut it,_ Grayson._" He snapped. Then focused his unnaturally dark eyes on Artemis and scowled. "Can you just hurry up and move! I have places to be. _Important _places."

"Watch how you talk to _me_, twerp." She advised. Scary looking boy or not, no one spoke to _her_ like that and got away with it. She glared at him as she barged past and followed the signs to the heads office.

* * *

"Welcome, Apollo." He said and stuck out a hand. "Lex Luthor." Artemis stared.

_Jesus,_ how many _times_ was she going to have to shake a guys hand today? It was kind of nerve wracking, since her hand was ten times smaller than everyone else's (and softer), which didn't exactly look right.

Begrudgingly, she took his and gave it a firm shake before pulling back with an awkward half smile. His face remained expressionless as he said, "Take a seat, my boy." Pointing to the black leather chair in front of his desk.

"Um, thank you...Sir."

"Now, I bet you're wondering why I've asked you here?"

She nodded.

"I only wanted to give you a proper welcome to Gotham Academy in person," he said, laying both elbows on his desk, his hands clasped tightly together. "I trust you found your rooming and accommodation satisfactory." His cold blue eyes met hers briefly. Again, she nodded.

"Excellent," The corners of his mouth breaking into an odd smile, it was as if his face was utterly repulsed by the thought of doing such a human action. "I will see you around, Apollo."

Artemis forced out a polite goodbye and rushed out of the room, without coming across too suspicious. It wasn't really her fault that the guy wouldn't quit staring at her as if he could see into her freakin' soul, like some deranged _demon._

She shivered. What a _creep_. Definitely needed to keep her distance with that dude.

Maybe this whole thing wasn't one of her most brilliant ideas after all.

* * *

**E/N: In case there is any confusion, keep it in mind that I've made the Academy for people aged 18+ (Zatanna's a pretty good liar and passes for 18)**


	5. Chapter 5

**A/N: Wow second chapter on the same day. I'm on a role people! Hopefully this chapter might fulfil your Spitfire needs :)**

* * *

"Name?"

"Apollo Crock, Coach."

"And, uh, how old did you say you were again, kiddo?"

Artemis bit back a growl, gritting her teeth at the tall blonde man in front of her. "Just turned eighteen last month, _Coach_."

Amusement shined in his bottle green eyes, but didn't laugh. Good, she's getting really pissed off at how everyone doubts her age._ Yeah,_ she might be a lot shorter and all, but_ still._ It was just plain rude.

"Okay, let's just see how you are out on the pitch," he said, scribbling down a few notes on his clip board. "Then I'll decide whether or not you got yourself a spot on the team."

Artemis twisted on her heels and jogged on over to the centre of the field, stretching to warm herself up. She could do this, she was star player back on the girls team, she sure as hell could pass this stupid test blindfolded.

She got in line behind all the other guys who had also came for the trial, and patiently waited for her turn to do the obstacle course. The chubby guy in front of her had already started, and was now hopping through the tires at an alarming speed, which of course his body couldn't keep up with and ended up falling face first onto the ground beside Coach Allen's feet.

Artemis snorted, rolling her eyes.

Coach blew his his whistle and signaled for her to go. Letting out a short puff of air, she pushed off, her feet effortlessly stepping through all sixteen tire holes, coming to a quick stop, barely out of breath as she jumped out of the last ring.

"Alright, not _bad!_" He called out after writing down her time. The blonde made his way over, smiling, and said, "Its not the highest speed record I've had, but it was pretty damn close. Well done, kiddo."

Say what now?

"Who holds the fastest time?" She asked, fighting back a childish pout.

"My nephew, Kid Flash." The coach pointed towards the bleachers to their right. Peering around him, she scowled. He was coaches _nephew?_

Sitting on the top row of the bleachers bench was Wally, exaggeratedly waving a hand, five hot dogs stacked in the other.

Why the hell was he there? Urgh, she was seriously beginning to dislike him even more than before. Not to mention that goofy grin was doing all kinds of things to her heart rate. Damn him.

"The final test is to see how you are with an actual ball," Allen shouted to the remaining guys who had passed all the other tests. He chuckled to himself and said, "Can't have guys on the team who don't even know how to play with balls!"

Everyone snickered as he began incoherently spluttering, his face turning three shades of scarlet at his mistake. Artemis arched an eyebrow, smirking.

"Let's just get back on track, shall we boys?" He finally said, grumbling. "Find yourself a partner so that we can begin." Then stormed onto the sidelines of the pitch, cursing with each stomp.

"Hey _amigo_, mind if we partner up?" Turning, Artemis found a pair of innocent, big brown eyes and a friendly smile.

"Sure," she replied. He breathed a sigh of relief and ran off to fetch them a ball. Once he came back, he expertly kicked the ball towards her and she began running with it, dribbling in and out of the bright orange cones before passing it back to her partner.

Artemis has got to admit, she was pretty impressed with how well the boy copied exactly what she had previously done, _without_ loosing the ball or falling over. It looked like he was born to play the game.

After he had finished, the dark haired boy jogged towards her and held out his hand, tucking the soccer ball under his other arm. "Jaime Reyes." She took his and smiled. "Apollo Crock, nice to meet you, man."

He let go and they walked towards the coach. Artemis glanced at him, nudging her shoulder against his. "That was some impressive foot work out there, where did you learn to play like that?"

Jaime shrugged. "Where I live, it was the only thing to do on the streets, you know, beside drugs and all that other crap." He replied grimly, his mouth forming a thin line. She sensed it was a tough subjected and let it go.

"Well done, boys! Now go hit the group showers and I'll see you at ten on Friday, so done be late!" Their coach said, dismissing them with a wave of his hand.

Holy shit. Group showers.

* * *

When she felt it was safe enough, Artemis snuck out of her dorm, speed walking down the hallway and quickly locked the shower stall door behind her. There was no way she was going to risk getting caught by showering with the other guys, or see any of them naked for that matter.

She made sure it was way past one in the morning and that Wally was asleep before leaving. Well, she hopes he's asleep, she did poke his face a couple of times to make sure and he didn't wake up, so she figured that she was safe.

Folding her dirty kit, Artemis unravelled the cotton bandages from around her chest, loving the sudden burst of freedom it gave. She then gently unclipped the pins holding the wig in place and took out the elastic band out of her hair, letting it fall down her waist with a small sigh, massaging her sore scalp. Finally, she carefully removed her contacts and placed them in their container.

Stepping underneath the jets of hot water, Artemis quickly scrubbed herself off, making sure she didn't miss any patches of mud, then moved onto her golden locks. She poured a handful of shampoo and scrubbed it on, rinsing and repeating the same treatment with the conditioner.

After turning the shower off, she towel dried her hair and changed into her brothers pyjamas. Picking up her bag of clothes and her wash bag, she unlocked the door and hurried around the corner, and slammed into a wall. A very _warm_ wall.

The impact bounced her off her feet, she flew backward. A hand shot out and grabbed her waist, her fall whiplashed to a sudden stop. Her hands automatically latched onto the hands on her body.

She looked up. And up some more. The "wall" was _Wally_. And full of concern.

"Hey." He lifted her so their faces were level, they were so close she could count every freckle across the bridge of his nose. "You alright?" Artemis grunted and struggled against him. He got the message and let go of her.

"Sure you're okay, babe?"

"Fine," she snapped, re-adjusting her pyjama top that had risen up her stomach from his hands.

"Good," he said unfazed, his eyes raking her body. "'Cause girls shouldn't hurt themselves when they fall for me." He smirked, which Artemis really shouldn't have found sexy, and crossed his arms over his _naked_ chest.

Oh lord have mercy on her soul. What an amazing chest it was. Who knew that underneath those baggy tops was a total _hunk_?

Wait, what was he _talking_ about girls falling for him, she was his room mate, one of the _guys_-oh _shit_-she'd forgotten to put on her stupid wig! That meant her contacts weren't in either!

Double _shit_.

Immediately panicking that he might recognize her, Artemis took a step back, clutching her bags tightly to her chest as if it could offer any protection.

As if suddenly realizing the room she'd just come from, Wally arched an eyebrow. "Ahh, what were you doing in the guys showers?"

"I-I...I, um...wrong room?"

He gave her a slow nod, obviously not buying it, but didn't question her further on the matter. He tilted his head to the side. "You look familiar," He mused, then snapped his fingers when it dawned on him, staring at her with bug eyes. "You were that girl at the coffee shop!"

Afraid he'd delve any deeper on the subject, Artemis mumbled a short goodbye as she side stepped him, and sprinted down the hall as fast as she could, ignoring the way he called out after her as the loud slapping sound of her bare feet against the polished marble drowned out his voice with each step.

Slamming the scarlet door behind her, she roughly jerked her damp hair into bun and hid it underneath her jet black hair piece, making sure she didn't miss any strands out when she pinned it in place.

She shoved her bags beneath her bed and dived under the comforter. Her heart racing, threatening to jump right out of her chest. That was _way_ too close.

* * *

Just after she had drifted to sleep, Artemis vaguely heard a creaking sound during the night, Followed by light thuds against the carpet. Groggily blinking, she rolled onto her side to face her room mate's bed and found him drooling over his forearm as he snored ever so lightly, his legs tangled in the bed sheets.

She muffled a laugh into her pillow, deeming that she'd imagined the noises and closed her eyes, tugging her covers further over herself with a contented smile.

* * *

**E/N: how was it? Next chappy will have some Zatanna, cause she is awesome! **

**(Reviews make my day!)**

**Love, **

**~Beautiful-Dark~**


	6. Chapter 6

**A/N: I'm so glad that everyone is loving the story so far! It makes my heart do funny things inside my chest :) **

**(Also I've decided not to put chapter titles cause I'm seriously not creative enough to keep giving them individual titles)**

**This is were things start to get interesting...**

* * *

"I really,_ really _hate art. Its such a pointless subject."

"Stop being so moody, "_Kid Flash"._" Artemis teased.

"Will you quit calling me that?!" Wally hissed, flopping into his chair with a strangled groan. "I can't _believe_ my uncle brought that up _again_."

"Its such a dorky nickname."

"I got it back in eighth grade, _okay!_" He defended, jutting out his bottom lip. Then he sat up in his seat and folded his arms behind his head, a irritatingly smug smile replaced the pout. "I was the star track runner."

Artemis rolled her eyes, taking the empty desk beside him as they waited for their teacher to arrive. "What do you want from me, a medal?" She asked sarcastically.

He waved his hand, brushing her comment off. "Nah, I got plenty of those at home. But thanks for the offer."

Someone had a huge ego. "You're an idiot." She murmured and placed her rucksack underneath her desk. He shrugged his shoulders.

The classroom door opened and in stepped a tall, fair-skinned woman with straight waist-length black hair and piercing blue eyes.

"Hello, Class." The woman greeted as she sauntered to the front of the room, her eyes scanning each and every student. "Most of you probably already know me, but for those of you who don't; my name is Miss Prince and I'll be your art teacher for this term."

Wally leaned over and whispered, "Ah man, Wonder Woman is a_ total_ babe. I even heard she's an actual _princess_ in some part of the Amazon."

Artemis pulled a face. "You call her _Wonder_ Woman?"

"Dude, have you _seen_ her? Just look at those _legs._" He replied as if the reason was that obvious.

Well, excuse her stupidity. The teacher's legs weren't going to be the first thing to pop up in her mind. Wally's bare chest, now _that_ on the other hand, was something_ most _likely to appear instead.

Miss Prince shuffled the paperwork in her hands, perching herself on the edge of her wooden desk. "For this term I have decided to have you split into partners for a project of your choice, as long as it relates into art. I have placed a name tag on the desk next to your partner, I'd like you to find that space."

Artemis shared a look with Wally, then stood up and searched for her name. She wandered around, until she found her name tag next to a caucasian girl with shoulder-length red hair and striking amber eyes. A girl she recognised from one of the numerous debutant parties she'd attended over the years. Megan Morse.

They didn't speak to each other often at any of the meetings, therefore she didn't really know her that well to determine whether or not she liked the redhead.

"Hey, I know you! Your sister Artemis is a debutant, I see her all the time!" Megan said with a genuine smile as the blonde sat down beside her. "So Apollo, how are you finding the Academy so far?"

Artemis lifted a shoulder. "Everyone's been nice, I guess." She said and pointed a finger towards Wally. "Although, my room mate is a complete _moron_."

Megan followed her line of sight and cringed. "He's not _all_ bad," she lied, then caught the "are you serious" expression the blonde was sporting. "Okay, he can definitely be a bit of a pest on some days. And his pick up lines are truly terrible."

"You got that right." She agreed, glancing towards her partner who was now staring longingly across the room at Connor Kent. Artemis refrained from rolling her eyes at her obvious crush and nudged her.

The redhead blinked, then straightened, her cheeks flushing from her embarrassment of being caught ogling. "So, um, what would you like to do the project on?" She sped out, tucking a few locks of hair behind her ear.

"Honestly? I really don't mind, I'm not really that creative." Her nose wrinkling at her confession. "Why don't you pick?"

Megan's face lit up as she began rambling, "I was thinking our theme could be _'Things aren't always what they seem'_, a-and we could-I _mean_, that's if its okay with _you_, of course." She emitted a nervous laugh and played with a lock of her scarlet hair.

"No, no. It sounds perfect. Different and interesting." Artemis reassured, placing a hand on the redhead's shoulder. Those amber eyes flew to hers, filled with glee.

"Great! So I'll see you on Friday's lesson!"

* * *

"Oh man, you're so _lucky_ you got paired with Megan!"

"And why's that exactly?"

"Are you insane, or just blind? She's smokin' _hot! _Seriously man, I wouldn't mind waking up to that chick after a night out, if you know what I mean."

"_Urgh_, whatever Romeo." Artemis snarled, hiding her face as she scrunched her nose in disgust at his slutty ways. "Listen I gotta' meet someone, so I can't hang with you guys at lunch today."

"No problem, guess I'll catch up with you later then!" Wally called out as she jogged down the corridor, heading for their room.

* * *

"I really don't understand why you forced me to meet you as myself."

"Don't use that tone with me, A. You and I both know you're loving the sense of womanly freedom you're having right now." The raven haired girl spoke from her place on the field, laying on her stomach as she ran her finger over the blades of grass. "Besides, being a boy must be awful. You_ need _this, or else you'll turn crazy."

"Yeah, but its just feels _weird._" She replied, staring down at her strapless green top and jeaned shorts. Zatanna raised a perfectly shaped eyebrow. "Oh, you know what I mean." Artemis huffed and laid down opposite her.

"I'm Megan Morse's new room mate," her best friend said whilst she made a neat pile from what she pulled out of the ground. "She's so happy that I'm her roomie, since we know each other from being debutant's and all that shizzle."

"Huh. She's my art partner. I guess she's pretty nice, kinda' loud-but nice." She mused, playing with the ends of her golden hair.

"So what about you? How's your room mate and all that jazz?" Zatanna questioned.

Artemis immediately perked up, feeling giddy for some strange reason, and launched into a shameless, full on ramble.

"You'll never believe this, Zee. It was that guy I was telling you about! That one I saw at the coffee shop? And _Urgh_, he's so hot-but a _total_ man whore. He's got these really cute freckles across his nose, and these _amazing_ green eyes that just make you wanna'_-"_

"And I'll bet he's got bright red hair, about six foot tall, pretty hunky, has a _really_ sexy smirk, and hangs around with three other guys?" Zatanna interrupted her and bit her lip to stifle her laughter as she gazed at something behind her friend.

Artemis narrowed her eyes, confusion written all over her face. "Yeah...but how did you know that?" The younger girl clamped her lips together, tightly, pointing over the blonde's shoulder.

Her gray eyes widened as she realised her mistake. And swallowed. "He's right there, isn't he?" Receiving a slow nod in return.

"Hey guys, didn't know I had fan's," She heard the smug tone of her room mate chuckle from behind. "I'm flattered that girls think I have, um, _really cute freckles_."

God must _really_ hate her right now.

"_Wow,_" Dick spoke as the four boys moved to stand in front of them. "That was...interesting." He looked down at her, grinning. "Long time no see, 'Mis." Then hauled her off the ground and into a friendly cuddle, in which she returned, loving how nice it felt to hug her childhood friend again.

"Wait, _this_ is Apollo's _sister?!_" Wally gaped after they separated, his emerald eyes darting between his best friend and the blonde girl. "_This_ is the girl I ran into last night in the boys showers!" Everyone stared at him, then at Artemis. Raised eyebrows coming from each angle.

Zatanna gave her this "you are so explaining this shit later" glare as her and the boys all sat down, forming a large circle on the pitch.

"So, 'Mis. I didn't know you transferred here too?" Dick said as he carefully shuffled closer towards her friend so that their legs were just touching, and tried to be as nonchalant about the close contact as possible. Zatanna fought back a giggle at his obvious interest in her.

"Oh, yeah. Um, my brother must have left that part out?" Artemis stuttered, feeling more uncomfortable than before. Especially since her room mate wouldn't quit staring at her like she was a piece of juicy steak. "Would you cut that _out?!_" She snarled, twisting her head, glaring.

Wally smirked. "Its not my fault, you're the most beautiful girl I've ever seen in my life, babe." Which of course, made her snort.

Why even bother flirting with her when not half an hour ago he was talking about banging Megan. Seriously? This guy had to be infested with sexual diseases.

"How many other helpless women have you used that line on this morning?" Connor interjected, smiling derisively. Earning a bubble of laughter from Dick, and Kaldur desperately tried to hide an amused grin behind his hand.

Wally scowled at each and every one of them.

"As much fun as this has been, me and A better get going now." Zatanna announced as she dusted off her black leggings, then helped her friend up.

Dick scrambled to his feet when the two girls started to head back towards the building. "Wait!" He blurted, taking the young magician's hand in his. She turned around to face him, staring at their joined hands. Then looked up into his ocean blue eyes that were so much like her own.

"There's gonna' be a beach party at Happy Harbour this weekend, say you'll come?"

Zatanna slid her gaze to Artemis, then back at the boy in front of her. "We'll think about it," and smiled in the most alluring way, Dick let out a quiet gasp. "See ya!" She threw over her shoulder with a small wave as she and the blonde sauntered back inside.

* * *

**E/N: Ahhh, both my OTP's in one chapter! My shippers heart is filled with rainbows and rays of sunshine right now.**

**I hope you loved this chappy just as much as the others :) **

**~Beautiful-Dark~ **


	7. Chapter 7

**A/N: You guys squeal at chapters, I squeal at your reviews! I love all of you. **

**Thank you so much to Chalant-writer3, Irenerb, and random obsession for nearly always leaving me a review! Its nice to get something back from what you give, I guess. So thanks :)**

* * *

_"Its friday!"_

"Can it, West."

_"Its friday, friday, gotta' get down on friday!"_

"Seriously Wally, I _hate_ that song. Its too early in the morning, and I haven't even had a strong cup of coffee to deal with your bullshit."

Wally broke off from his ridiculous dancing, which consisted of flinging his arms up in the air and grinding against the bleachers stand. He spun on his heels, hands placed on his hips. "Jheez, aren't you just a ray of sunshine this morning? God of the Sun my_ ass_." Mumbling the last part under his breath.

Artemis sighed, rubbing her tired and rather itchy eyes. "I didn't get a lot of sleep last night, thanks to you and your stupid snoring."

Not to mention the brown contacts lodged in her eyes were irritating the shit out of her, so that didn't help her situation.

The redhead placed a hand to his chest, feigning hurt at her words. "I do not _snore!_"

"Yeah, you really do. And I think you dribble in your sleep"-her eyes found his-"Its kinda' disgusting actually."

"Don't worry dude, soccer will make it all better." He said, completely ignoring her growl of protest, and patted her on top of her head seen as he was taller and could reach. All the while utterly unaware of how her hands clenched into tight fists at her sides, preparing to launch herself at him for being so chirpy in the morning.

That was up until a loud, ear splitting whistle reverberated throughout the pitch. Several heads turned in the direction of the source to find a unnaturally cheerful Coach Allen; his mouth stretching into a wide smile around the corners of his whistle as he strode over, carrying a large netted bag in one hand.

"Today boys we're gonna' be practicing scoring goals." He said, dumping the bag in front of them. A few balls escaped, rolling until they came to a sudden stop at whatever got in their path.

"But before that; I want thirty laps around the pitch!"

It was going to be an extremely _long_ hour.

* * *

Artemis carefully glided the tip of her pencil along the smooth center of her blank page, connecting the final part of her image. Taking a step back, she admired her now finished creation.

"Apollo, that is absolutely amazing!" Megan gasped in awe, hovering over the blonde's shoulder.

Her eyes returned to the drawing to give a final evaluation. It was a rough sketch of a little girl cowering in the corner of a dark room, small, defenceless and scared. Whereas at the other end of the page was the polar opposite; a creature with the same features as the little girl, except her eyes were soullessly dark and her body had doubled in size. Her dainty arms arched with merciless claws at the end of her hands, a sinister, blood thirsty smile curved her lips. As frightening as it may have looked, it was still beautiful never the less. After all, it fit their theme perfectly.

"You really think so?" Artemis asked, using her index finger to smudge the edges around the girl to create an eerie background.

"Its incredible," Megan nodded her head, beaming. "I love it!"

The blonde picked up her eraser and began to touch up around the outside of her page where she had made rough doodles of all her ideas. She grabbed another piece of A3 paper and began sketching out a different idea, her hand moving over the sheet rapidly.

It went pretty silent for the whole ten minutes she'd been working, to busy concentrating on what she was doing, she had failed to notice. And that just simply wasn't right-since she was paired with Megan.

She lifted her head to find her partner distracted, a bleak expression on her face.

"Megan?" She asked, her eyebrows knitting into a frown as she tried to get the redhead's attention, who was currently staring at Conner as he interacted with a dark haired girl from the other side of the table.

"_Hey!_" She hissed, somewhere between a whisper and a yell.

"Hmm, what?" Megan murmured, her amber eyes never leaving the muscular teenager as he bent over to pick up a handful of colored pastels that rolled off the desk, which gave a very nice view of his perfectly defined backside inside his fairly tight jeans. Artemis shook her by the shoulders, repeatedly whispering her name whilst doing so.

Eventually her partner snapped out of her daze, turning to the blonde with a glazed expression. Her cheeks turned a shade similar to her hair, obviously realising what she'd just been doing for the last ten minutes.

Artemis shook her head, slightly amused. "You know, you could just _talk _to him instead of drooling over him from afar."

"Oh no, I couldn't!" She burst out. "I mean, I get way too nervous when it comes to him and I always end up making a fool of myself," Cradling the side of her face on her arms that were resting on the desk. Then sighed. "Besides he's totally into Wendy Harris, she's pretty _and_ popular."

Artemis fixed her eyes on the blue eye girl, laughing hysterically at something Conner had said. Wendy gripped onto his bicep as she leaned into him, a flirty smile on her face.

She held back a gag.

"I heard there's a party this weekend, why don't you just talk to him then?" She asked and turned back to face her partner, twiddling the pencil in her hand. "All you have to do is imagine that you're talking to me instead. You don't seem to have any problem with doing that."

Megan's eyes widened in understanding as she sat up. "You're totally right, that would make it _so_ much easier!' She tapped her forehead and muttered, "Urgh, _hello_ Megan!"

A smile graced Artemis' lips. Actually pleased with herself for successfully helping out a friend with their love life.

* * *

The door slammed behind her. Artemis had just got back from visiting Zatanna, discussing the whole fiasco with the upcoming party at the beach. Even though she had already been invited by the guys to go as_ Apollo, _Zatanna insisted she_ had _to go as Artemis as well if she valued their friendship.

Eventually the raven haired girl got her own way, obviously.

Not to mention she got a phone call from Cameron, grovelling in her ear about how he's an total idiot (he's got that one right) and that he wants to meet up because he needs to see her again (no, that won't be happening. Ever.)

Throwing herself onto her bed, she laid there pondering on how the hell she was going to pull off being two people at the same time, in the same _place. _Was it even remotely possible?

"So Apollo...I met your sister on Wednesday." Wally spoke up from the chair at the computer, twiddling his thumbs in his lap.

"Oh really?" She asked in a calm voice, trying not to sound as interested as she really was in what he was saying.

"Yeah, she was talking with her friend about how hot I am," he looked up and had the most goofy grin known to mankind. "I don't blame her, I'd date me if I could."

"Urgh. I _bet_ you would," she snapped, her sudden interest deflated like a balloon. She hated herself for being such a girl when it comes to him.

However, she pressed further on the matter to hear what he had to say about her. The _real_ her.

"Besides why would my sister be talking about you when you've never even met?"

"We've kinda' already met before," he admitted, running his fingers through his messy hair. "Couple of weeks ago I saw her in Star City and she was with Cameron Mahkent, who I'm guessing is her boyfriend?"

"Wait, you know Cam?" Artemis asked, intrigued, and crawled across her bed to get a better view of her room mate.

Wally nodded his head, a distasteful look on his face. "Yeah, I made him cry during the last game between Gotham and Happy Harbour."

"Wait, that was _you_?"

"You bet it was," He laughed. "Best moment of my life!"

"Huh. Well I think the correct term would be _ex-boyfriend,_" Artemis snorted. "I'm pretty sure she said to me that he's history."

"Good, he really is an asshole and she's way too pretty to be with someone like him." His features softened slightly as he carried on, "But anyway, after he laughed in her face about something, he just left her there, alone. Oh man, and when I saw her crying I just wanted to go and hug her, then punch that stupid jerk in the face."

You know that feeling you get just as you drop off the highest part of a rollercoaster? That's exactly how it felt inside her stomach. But five roller coasters at _once_. "You would've done that for Artemis?" Her voice sounded as if she had just ran a mile.

His green eyes met hers as he held up his hands sheepishly. "Sorry dude, I forgot this is your sister we're talking about. I-I'll just shut up now."

"No, no!"

Wally blinked curiously.

She cleared her throat awkwardly, attempting to cover up her outburst. "No I mean, I don't mind...you know, if you wanna' talk about her. Its cool with me."

He smiled, happy that he could continue. "Oh, and then she literally ran into me a few nights ago, coming out of the boys showers."

Artemis could feel her cheeks burning from the reminder. "Was there a guy in there with her or something?"

Wally snapped his head in her direction. "No, of course not! She was _alone, _doofus." Moving from the chair, he sat at the edge of his own bed. "Jheez, I can't believe you'd even think like that about your own _sister_." He said, grimacing.

Artemis raised her eyebrows, a smirk playing on her lips. "A little touchy are we, West?"

"Shut up," he groaned and flipped onto the middle of the large bed, staring up at the cream ceiling. "I don't wanna' talk about this anymore. Its weird."

"Fine by me," she shrugged, rolling on her side to face the door and closed her eyes. She had gotten all she needed to know anyway.

* * *

**E/N: Oh boy, you guys are gonna love me for what I have planned for the next chapter! **

**Love,**

**~Beautiful-Dark~**


	8. Chapter 8

**A/N: I don't know whether you guys are gonna hate what I've done in this chappy. I hope you love it for how incredibly funny (and charming) this next part is. Enough with the spoilers, just read on to find out :)**

* * *

Climbing into her jeep, Artemis waited rather impatiently for the rest of the gang to join her. It was nearing seven o'clock and she was ready way before the guys. The grip she had on her backpack was so tight, her knuckles were turning a ghostly white from the force.

Inside the gray bag was her change of clothes to be herself, which consisted of a floaty sun yellow dress that ended just above her knees (Zatanna threatened to turn her into a flee if she didn't) and a pair of slip on flats. (There was absolutely no way of her wearing flip-flops and risk having her toe nearly taken off by a crab)

"Apollo, Wally requested for me to pass on a message that he and Dick will be taking his car instead." Kaldur announced, suddenly appearing outside of her door along with Conner.

"No problem," Artemis smiled good-naturedly despite the nauseous feeling she had expanding in the pit of her stomach, eating away agonizingly slow at her insides. "Why don't you take the front seat, Kal?" Gesturing to the passenger seat beside her.

He returned the kind expression, only with more enthusiasm and stepped inside the vehicle, buckling up. The green-eyed man turned to face her. "Again, it is much appreciated for the ride to and from Happy Harbour."

Conner slid into the back seat, drumming his fingers against the leather arm rest. "Yeah thanks, Apollo," He said, catching her gaze through the rear view mirror. "You've saved us-and quite possibly what's left of our sanity-from having to hitch a ride with those two morons." A light chuckle followed shortly after.

The blonde shared his amusement, reversing out of the student car park and shifted gear, heading for Rhode Island.

In the last couple of days, the older boy had warmed up to having her around and was now able to have a normal conversation without feeling awkward. He's actually a pretty funny guy, and once he even said he considers her an annoying kid brother, along with Dick-only apparently she's not as irritating. So that's must mean something.

"Let's go mingle," she said as they hopped out of her car. Locking the doors she turned and strolled down the gravelled footpath alongside the two older boys.

Pulling out her phone, Artemis texted Zatanna to let her know she'd already arrived and that she would meet her later when she could escape the guys.

"I must say, it is most definitely an improvement from last year." Kaldur spoke as they came off the footpath, their feet sinking in the sand with each step.

They reached a wide clearing were a fairly large stage was situated to their left, a space on the sand were a crowd of people gathered around dancing to the pulsing beat of the music, some holding a plastic cup of alcohol in one hand. To their right was a cue leading up to a barbecue. It smelled delicious. Wally was going to love it.

Conner and Artemis nodded their heads in agreement to Kaldur's musings. "Come on you two, I'm kinda' hungry." She said and lead them to the line.

After they had purchased their snacks, the three of them ambled their way through the crowd and reached the shoreline. They sat themselves comfortably on the smoothed golden granules, observing the turquoise waves lapping at the shore.

Artemis wiped her mouth, relieving all traces of her greasy, but so damn tasty cheeseburger and fries. She had been wondering for the past twenty minutes upon arriving where Dick and Wally were. Surely they should have gotten there by now? And they couldn't have gotten lost since they both knew this place like the back of their hands.

"I am beginning to wonder where our friends are." Kaldur said as if reading her mind, sliding his gaze away from the big blue, seeking out his two friends beside him.

"Maybe they decided not to come after all." Conner offered, shrugging.

Artemis scoffed. "Like Grayson would pass up an opportunity to flirt with Zatanna," she quipped. "And we all know Wallace never turns down a good party with free food...and plenty of willing women." They both nodded in agreement, laughing.

As if on cue, the sound of Dick's laughter filled the air as the two boys strolled towards them.

"Dude, I'm _not_ kidding! I was beating these chicks off with a freakin' _stick_, it was either that or they were going to _molest_ me and steal my innocence!" Wally protested, his hands fly haphazardly around in the air.

At this, the cerulean eyed boy burst into another fit of hysterics, holding onto the redhead with a vice like grip to prevent himself from toppling over.

Kaldur quirked an eyebrow. "Are they already intoxicated?"

"Without _us?_" Conner mused, and sighed. He shook his head, his jet black hair sweeping across his forehead with the movement. "For shame. They've learnt nothing."

Artemis bit back a giggle at her friends conversation. They sounded so calm about the whole thing, _that's_ what she found so amusing.

As they drew nearer, Dick chuckled, "Wally, you lost your "innocence" a long time ago."

"_So_ not the point here!"

"Apollo?" A shrill voice screeched from the top end of the beach. "Is that _you?!_" Loud thudding of footsteps accompanied the voice, drawing closer and closer. It was that moment when Artemis realized exactly who the voice belonged _to. _

Panic raced through her veins, clouding her mind as she attempted to think of a way out of her current situation without her brother's bitch of a girlfriend finding out she wasn't _him_. She twisted away and hid herself behind a rather amused Kaldur and Conner.

"Why haven't you been returning my calls?" The brunette pressed on, anger laced her tone. "Do you even know how _lucky_ you are to be with someone like me?"

Shit. If she found out that she was Artemis, the little prissy bitch would blow her whole cover. And she'd worked freaking _hard_ for all this to happen, Godammit!

"Who's the floozy?" Wally questioned distastefully, pulling a face as he jerked a finger in Talia's direction. Everyone erupted into hysterics-except said floozy.

"I am Apollo's _girlfriend,_" she spat venomously, giving the redhead a quick once over before turning her nose up at him. "Now if you peasants don't mind stepping aside, I need to have a little chat with him."

"Jheez Crock, where'd you pick this one up from?" Wally whispered to the blonde loud enough for everyone else to hear. Artemis glared at him, grounding her teeth together.

She had to get away. And fast.

"You know what, Talia?" Artemis began as she stepped around her two bodyguards, making sure that she kept her face angled out her line of sight. "We are _so_ done. I don't wanna' see you anymore, so just _back off!_"

Her brother didn't need to burden himself with such an egotistical bitch. So really, she had just done him a favour...yet again.

Talia's mouth gaped open so wide, Artemis was worried the girl would catch flies if she wasn't careful. "You can't break up with _me!_" She said somewhere between a scream and a snarl.

Dick cackled and said in a jeering tone, "I think you'll find he just did,_ sweetheart_."

With that, Artemis gave a mock salute and sprinted as fast as the sand would allow. She faintly heard screams of fury behind her as she vanished into the crowd, and threw herself into the safe haven of her jeep.

* * *

"Mmm. Dick is looking _fine_ tonight," Zatanna mumbled around the edge of her plastic cup. Her eyes raked the raven haired boy's body as he stood in line for a quick snack. "Sweet baby Jesus, just look at that _ass_ in those pants."

"I'd rather _not_," Artemis rolled her eyes. "I don't have a fetish for guys asses like you do."

The young magician waved her comment away, her blue eyes never leaving his backside. She made a low hum of approval at what she saw. "I wonder if he has any birth marks on that peachy little-"

"_Zee!_" Artemis cried, cringing. "That is totally _disgusting_, not to mention creepy gross," She paused and warily eyed her best friend. "Please don't tell me you stare at guys asses when they're in all their glory?"

Zatanna tore her eyes away from Dicks rear end and locked eyes with Artemis. A lazy, disturbing grin spread across her bright red lips. "I'd be lying if I say I don't." She purred.

"Why am I friends with you?"

"Because I'm simply fabulous."

"Nope, that's Roy."

"Will you _shut up_ and let me get back to appreciating that fine males butt, please?"

"Urgh, whatever turns you on. I'm gonna' go get another refill," Artemis said with a sigh, turning to seek out the drink stand. "Have fun, Zee." She threw over her shoulder, and crashed into something hard, stumbling backwards until she caught her footing.

A splash of ice-cold liquid ran down the front of her yellow dress and turned the fabric see-through, clinging to her chest and reeked of alcohol. Great.

"We really need to stop meeting like this, babe."

Artemis froze. Her stormy eyes travelled north, finding a pair of forest green filled with amusement. Her eyes narrowed. "_Wally,_" she growled, pulling the soaking wet fabric away from her skin. "Look at what you _did_, you moron!"

Wally raised an eyebrow, his gaze wandered down to where her hands were. And smirked. "Why yes, I can see _exactly_ what I did," his voice sarcastic as ever. "My bad."

Her cheeks burned at the predatory way he stared at her. Slightly confused she peered down, and instantly understood why. Her cleavage was completely exposed to the rest of the world.

Artemis's hands flew to cover her chest so that the pervert couldn't see the tops of her lacy bra. She certainly wasn't going to give him the satisfaction in knowing she was thoroughly embarrassed. Her eyes never left his as she commanded, "Get out of my _way_, West."

"...No."

"W-what?"

"I said _no_, Arty. So what're you gonna' do about it, babe?" He questioned teasingly and crossed his arms, obviously enjoying the way she stuttered incoherently.

"Move now, or I swear you'll be screaming when I'm finished with you!"

"Is that a promise?" He stalked closer with a wide smile.

She grit her teeth to force herself from yelling and shoved him out of the way, _hard. _She then scrambled past him, dodging his attempt in catching her and sprinted into the car park for the second time in the last hour.

When she got to her jeep, Artemis rummaged around in the back of her car looking for anything else to wear. "I must be doing something right in this world," she muttered and immediately got changed into the spare pair of clothes she had found. And thank God she _did_.

smoothing out her black jeaned shorts and adjusting her gray baggy t-shirt, she made her way back to the party. A buzzing sound startled her just as she passed the barbeque stand, she whipped out her phone and came to an abrupt stop.

_From: Zee_

_To: A_

_Where are you? I lost sight of Dick and now I can't find him! Hurry up, I need help-and pronto! His ass is mine._

What was so damn _special_ about his ass? She really didn't see what the commotion was about with it. Sighing, she started to enter her reply when someone unexpectedly ran into _her._

_Really?_ Twice in one night?

At least it wasn't her this time.

"Oops! I'm _so_ sorry, I wasn't-" the boy began, lifting his light green eyes to meet hers and paused mid sentence. A dazzling smile that showed his pearly white teeth replaced the apologetic look as he stood up straighter, and puffed out his chest to make himself look as manly as physically possible.

"_Dios mío!_" He breathed and took her hand in his, running his finger tips over her palm and placed a lingering kiss on the back of her hand, his chocolate hair flopping over his forehead in the most adorable way. "You are the most beautiful girl I've ever seen in my life, what is your name, _mi_ _corazón_?"

Now where had she heard that one liner before?

Artemis smothered a chuckle. She's got to admit, the kid has some serious charm. For someone who looked like they were barely out of ninth grade.

"Um, its Artemis. And just who might you be?"

The boy brightened and took a small step back, shoving his hands into his dark jeaned pockets. "Ah, of course. A gorgeous woman such as yourself deserves the name of a Goddess," he murmured as he nodded his head, his eyes never leaving hers and added with a cheeky wink, "Bart. Bart Allen. But you can call me whatever you'd like to, babe."

That was it, she laughed. Although he didn't seem to mind, he actually looked pretty pleased with himself for achieving so. Unable to help herself she teased, "Aren't you a little too young to be at one of these shindigs, Bart?" Amusement still clear in her voice.

Instead of spluttering like an idiot as she had expected, Bart smirked. Standing on his tiptoes to reach her ear, he whispered, "_Niña hermosa, _I may not be a college boy, but I'm legal." And pulled away, waggling his eyebrows suggestively, a roguish grin plastered to his lips.

Artemis gasped, her eyes widened. And she knew she shouldn't have given him the satisfaction in knowing he'd surprised her, but in all her eighteen years of living, she had_ never_ met a guy who was so forward and confident as he was. _Let alone_ someone of his age. Just as she opened her mouth to say something witty and sarcastic, Wally appeared from around the corner of the large rock situated beside them. And he was _not_ happy.

"Bart Henry Allen. What the hell do you think you're doing _here_?" He growled as he surged towards them, a murderous gaze directed towards her latest charmer. "_How_ did you get here? Uncle Barry is going to _kill_ you!"

"Wait, you know Kid Casanova?" She asked and jerked her thumb at her room mate. What were the odds?

Bart smirked at her made up nickname. "Yeah, he's my first cousin once removed. Obviously I'm the lucky one in the family with all the ridiculous good looks, and impeccable style." He said, gesturing to his expensive branded clothes.

That meant he's related to Coach Allen. She had suspected, but its not like she could point that out. She wasn't Apollo anymore.

"If you're _quite_ finished with your terrible flirting, I have to get you home. Its way past your bedtime." Wally spat, glaring at him as if daring him to argue. He took a step closer to the younger boy just in case he needed to physically remove his stupid kid cousin away from Artemis.

Bart rolled his eyes. He looked at the blonde with a hopeful smile and took her hand in his one last time. "Farewell, _senorita._" Kissing her hand, those light green orbs never leaving hers. "I'll be counting down the days until we meet again."

Wally made an ugly sound of disgust from the back of his throat. He narrowed his bottle green eyes and folded his arms across his chest as he watched begrudgingly, his nails cutting into the flesh of his forearms.

Artemis bit her lip to stop herself from laughing at the two of them. She knew that look on the her room mate's face, she'd seen it plenty of times before when Megan would flirt with Connor, and it amused her to no end to see him so jealous of a boy three years younger than himself who had a way with women.

"As will I, Bart." She said coyly as she locked eyes with the redhead beside them. Wally let out a barely audible hiss, his grip tightening painfully on his forearms.

As they headed towards Wally's parked car, Bart turned and gave her a light wave of his hand. He was just too cute for his own good. Artemis blew him a kiss, which of course he caught with a dreamy expression. Wally turned to him and smacked him upside the head before dragging him by his ear squealing the rest of the way to his car.

"Looks like you got yourself a little admirer there."

Artemis whipped around to face the dark-haired boy as he stepped out from behind the sand dunes, his hands hooked into the front pockets of his jeans.

"Yeah, he's kinda' adorable." She mused with a smile, kicking at the sand beneath her feet as her friend made his way towards her.

Dick hesitated, an incredulous look upon his face. "Who, Wally?" A tell-tale hint of delight in his voice.

Her face burned as she stumbled over her words, "_What?!_ No! I meant his younger cousin, Bart." She then situated herself on the silky sand, tucking the escaping strands of her golden hair behind her ears. Dick gave her a knowing smirk and sat beside her, staring out at the waves as it caressed the shore before retreating back, repeating the same process.

A few moments of muteness filled the salty sea air, until he playfully bumped his shoulder with hers to get her attention. "You know Wally has a bit of a thing for you, right?"

"Just like you have a bit of a thing for Zee?" She shot back on impulse, enjoying the way his eyes darted away from hers, as if afraid that she could see right into his very soul.

He cleared the lump in his throat, still unkeen on meeting her jeering gaze. "Let's not change the subject shall we, 'Mis?" His usual calm and deep tone replaced by a slightly higher octave. "Me and Tanna are not open for discussion."

"_Oh_ so there's a _'you and Tanna'_ now, is there?" She asked teasingly, her fingers making air quote motions.

Dick silenced her with a look.

She huffed out her disapproval, folding her arms across her chest. He was simply no fun today. The killjoy.

A muscle twitched at the corner of his mouth upon noticing her childish pout. He shook his head and carried on, "Ever since you bumped into him coming out of the guys showers..." A glint of mirth appeared in his cerulean eyes. Artemis blinked, blushing as she turned her head away. "He hasn't been able to get you out of his head."

She felt a warm, reassuring hand tap her gently on the shoulder. Looking up she found him already standing, holding out both his hands to help her up. When she made no signs of movement, Dick waved them in front of her face, grinning mischievously. Artemis let out a deep breath, forcing herself not to roll her eyes and took his waiting hands.

"All I'm saying is...try to look past his immaturity and you'll find a pretty decent guy." He advised as they drew nearer towards the loud shrieks of laughter coming from half-drunken teenagers.

"Plus it's not Wally's fault he doesn't know how to act around you...which is why he's a complete jerk most of the time." Dick added, before waning into the throng of people gathered around the large campfire.

Way to be creepy about it. What did he even mean? Sometimes she really didn't understand guys. Way too complicated. He should-

"Hey, baby. I've missed you."

* * *

**E/N: :O uh oh cliffhanger! Don't worry next chappy will be a carry on :)**

**I'm sure you've guessed what I was talking about. Yes, my shining knight in armor; Bart Allen. I couldn't help myself, I have some serious amount of love for him. And I also couldn't help but have him use some spanish words to increase his overpowering charm.**

**Let me know what you thought of it!**

**~Beautiful-Dark~**


	9. Chapter 9

A/N:** AHHHH! All the reviews! I was squealing so bad everytime I got one...theres 69 of them...incase you haven't noticed ;). I'm so glad you guys liked my Bart, he's a total lady killer. And there will definitely be some more of him later! **

**P.S. Excuse my dirty mind further on in this chappy...I really couldn't help myself. So if you find this disturbing, I do apologise. But don't worry its not a full on sex scene or anything.**

* * *

"Get away from me, Cam," She seethed, rage coursing throughout her body, begging her to wipe that unconvincing look of concern of his stupid face."Before my fist accidentally finds your face."

"Come on baby, don't be like that," Cameron took a step closer, his hands raised as if he was trying to tame a wild beast. "I've said I'm sorry, what more do you want?"

That was the _wrong_ question.

Artemis stared at him incredulously. "I can't _believe _you just asked me that," she growled, and jabbed him in the chest, none to lightly. "I asked you to do one thing for me and you threw it back in my face. _Humiliating_ me in front of all those people!"

She couldn't stop. Now that he'd riled her up she was shaking from anger. She carried on with a glare, "What happened to _"I'll always be there for you_, _baby"_?" Her hands flattened against his chest, shoving him hard as she continued, "Or _"I would do anything for you,_ _baby"_?" She gave him one final shove, punctuating her last sentence, "Or maybe even that stupid three worded sentence you used so often; _"I love you"_?"

Those cold, emotionless blue eyes left hers and dropped to his feet. Artemis saw his jaw tighten as he spoke through his teeth, "I _did_ mean all that-and I_ still do_-its just that I agree with your father on this one. "

"_My father,_" she hissed bitterly, hating herself for even calling him that. Lawrence was nothing to her. Worthless. "My father is a sexist pig who needs to have his head pulled out from his ass!"

"He's a great guy!"

"Just fuck off out of my sight, Cam."

"Are you listening to yourself, Artemis," he said, running his hands through his white hair in frustration. "You're making a big thing out of something so small and meaningless!"

Meaningless? Her _dreams_ were_ meaningless?_

"That is _it!_" Her hands balled into fists at her sides as she attempted to soothe her runaway temper. Having no such luck, exhaling, Artemis forced open her eyes and in a very calm voice, she said, "By the time I'm done with you, Mahkent, you're gonna' wish your dad pulled out early."

His eyes widened with fear and he gulped slowly. Clearly he knew her well enough to know that she'd keep to her promised threat.

"But baby-"

"Don't you ' _but baby'_ me!" She spat distastefully, striding towards him. Each step she advanced, he retreated, stumbling through the sand as he tripped over a large rock poking out of the ground. Artemis gripped him by the collar of his navy shirt and leaned dangerously close to him, a fist raised.

Then hesitated as realisation finally dawned on her.

The prick wasn't even worth it. Finally winning the match against her inner demon (okay, maybe there's more than just the one), Artemis decided pummelling her ex within an inch of his useless life wasn't worth busting up her knuckles, no matter how satisfying it may feel afterwards.

Reluctantly, Artemis released her hold on him and took a couple of steps back. And glared. "You pathetic son of a bitch." She hissed, pointing a finger at him. Delighted when she saw him flinch slightly.

Spinning on her heels, she headed back to the party, ignoring his attempts on calling her back to him and stuck up her middle finger. A cold cup of fruit punch was way overdue.

* * *

The blustery wind nipped at her flushed skin, obscuring her vision as it threw unruly strands of her hair and chaotically covered her face. Artemis fumbled with the locks as she attempted to tame it back behind her ears whilst she ambled clumsily through the still toasty sand, frantically searching for at least one of her friends.

Of course it didn't help that everything was now pitch black, and the only thing giving her a source of light was the screen of her mobile phone.

Stepping over the metal railings bordering off the forest part of Happy Harbour beach, Artemis vaguely registered a familiar voice calling out her name. Turning her head, she caught sight of bright red hair bobbling towards her (you really couldn't miss something like that, even in the dark), blurring faintly at the edges of her vision.

...Was that Pretty-Boy Roy?

Hell, she didn't know. She couldn't really tell either since the weight of all the alcohol was dragging her down. As the figure drew nearer, Artemis immediately knew who it was.

"What're you doing here, West?" She slurred, waving the phone in front of his face to see him better.

Wally squinted and blinked from the brightness that was practically blinding him. "Ermm, I-uh..." He hesitated with a frown, confused when the blonde took a step forward, invading his personal space. "Artemis...are you okay?" He asked lightly, holding her at arms length, worried she might topple over if he let her go.

"Where's my little prince charming gone?" She asked, craning her neck to blink up at him.

An eyebrow rose. "Who, Bart?" Receiving an exaggerated nod, he scoffed at the reminder and gritted his teeth. "I took the little dweeb home."

"You're no fun," Artemis jutted out her bottom lip in a pout. "You know, I think it was getting to the point were he was gonna' ask me to marry him," She babbled, gesturing to her ring finger on her left hand. "And I would've said yes too, until _you_ came along and ruined it all!"

Wally stared at her bewilderedly, and said slowly as it precipitously dawned on him, "Arty, are you _drunk?_"

"..._No_, Wallace. I'm not." she replied, dragging out the word whilst rolling her eyes pretentiously, tugging herself out of his embrace. He gave her a pointed look.

"I think you should sit down or something," he said apprehensively, running his gaze over the large area surrounding them, his eyes finally adjusting to the dark as he searched for any sign of the blonde's best friend. "Where's Zee?" He muttered to himself, having no such luck. "Actually where the heck is Apollo!"

Artemis wobbled from her place on the ground, the alcohol slowly draining from her system. A lazy smile spread over her lips as she dusted off the tiny grains of sand stuck to her fingers.

"You talk too much," She mused, sashaying towards him and looped her arms around his neck, giggling at the way he stared at her in mild bewilderment and something else Artemis couldn't identify. "But I'm sure I can think of a few ways to solve that problem."

Artemis didn't know what possessed her to do it, she just couldn't help herself. If she didn't feel sober right now, she'd quite happily blame it as one of the affects from the alcohol.

Wally's eyebrows almost disappeared into his hairline, his hands hovering her waist as if clueless as to where he should put them. Artemis stood on her tip-toes, her fingers toying with the silky red locks at the nape of his neck, then wet her lips in anticipation.

"I-I..." Wally swallowed thickly as he watched her tongue, enchanted by the way her lithe body felt pressed up against his. There was a pulse pounding at his throat. "Maybe this isn't such a...bad_-good_ idea, Artemis." He corrected himself, struggling to banish every single dirty thought that corrupted his mind, promising endless amounts of desire.

It didn't work.

Artemis could see how much he wanted this and laughed half-heartedly, playfully nudging her nose with his. "Just shut up and kiss me, West."

His warm and slightly minty breath ghosted over her lips as she took full control and leisurely inched his head down lower. Those emerald orbs never left hers whilst he brought both hands up, and brushed the pad of his thumb over her flushed cheeks. Cupping the side of her jaw, he finally slanted his mouth across hers.

His lips were hard and hungry against hers, slightly chapped from the bitterness of the wind. Artemis moaned her approval when he slid his tongue along her bottom lip, and opened to him slowly.A growl erupted from Wally's throat as he dove into the kiss and urged her lips to part wider (And _fuck_ that's really hot). He entered her mouth with a ravaging thrust of his tongue, and her knees trembled.

Because holy shit, he was an _amazing_ kisser.

Being this close to him caused her mind to whirl, threatening to vent and destroy what's left of her sanity. Especially when he broke off and trailed his lips down the curve of her neck, biting down on the skin next to her collar bone. Artemis sucked in a breath at the slightly painful, yet extremely pleasurable sensations that burned as its heated flames spread across her skin like wildfire.

What with him doing that to her, and that unbelievably sexy smirk he had plastered to his face. That was the last thing she saw before his lips returned to hers in another mind blowing kiss.

Wally locked an arm around her waist and hauled her forward, eliminating the remaining space between them as his other calloused hand slid up the side of her leg agonisingly slow. Artemis shivered as her skin broke out in goose-bumps wherever his devilish hand touched. He came to a sudden stop where her leg joined her hip.

Artemis frowned and pulled away to find out what the problem was and who the hell said he could stop, when he unexpectedly lifted her up by her thighs and forced her to wrap them around his waist, backing them up until her back grazed the rough trunk of a tree. She grunted softly from the impact before her eyes fluttered closed as she waited for him to finish what they'd started, her heart eagerly pounding against her ribs.

"Wally, kiss me now or so help me I will personally castrate you and-"

He nipped hard at her bottom lip, then sucked the supple flesh into his mouth, silencing her as a hand travelled underneath her baggy grey top and moved torturously slow up the side of her waist, his fingers dancing along her ribcage. "I'm sorry, babe. What was it that you were saying you're going to do to me?" Wally asked in between kisses, those long fingers creeping slowly along the bottom lace towards the centre of her spine, brushing the cool metal of her bra clasp. Taunting her. Teasing her.

Artemis could feel his mouth curve into a smirk against hers, short bursts of air covered her lips as he laughed lightly.

The jerk knew _exactly_ what he was doing, and Artemis hated it. Normally, _she _was the one in control of these sort of things. Not the other way round. So why was Wally any different? A strangled sound escaped her lips, eliciting another amused chuckle from the irritating redhead.

"I can't hear you." He murmured in a husky voice that did nothing to hide the lust roaring through his system, hot breath tickling her burning cheeks.

If she wasn't so highly turned on right now, Artemis would've carried out her threat on cutting off the lower part of his anatomy and sticking it where the sun doesn't shine. Frustrated at his annoying antics, Artemis rocked her hips against his and ran the tip of her tongue lazily along the column of his neck, and earning herself a satisfied groan from Wally that vibrated against her chest, his fingers digging slightly into her ribs. Her breath hitched.

"You really do talk too much, Kid Mouth. Now _shut up_ and take off your clothes. I want to-"

"_Artemis?_" A familiar deep voice laced in anger shouted incredulously from beside her, yanking her out of her lust filled haze. "What the _hell_ is this?!"

Her head sagged into the crook of Wally's neck, a weary sigh escaped her lips and she swallowed thickly. This is _all_ she needed right now. Wally muttered something to her that she didn't register as she slipped out of his arms, giving him a chaste kiss on his flushed cheek and confronted her extremely pissed off ex-boyfriend.

"What're you doing here, Cam?" She asked with a blank look.

He disregarded her question, his eyes darkening. "Excuse me, doofus. But you were just making out with _my girlfriend_." He sneered bitterly at the redhead behind her.

Artemis stared at him like he'd grown two heads.

He didn't own her. Did the idiot not take a hint when she almost severed his head from his torso earlier? Before she could respond with a vulgar remark, Wally slung an arm around her waist possessively and smirked, smugness radiating out of him in waves.

"I'm sorry dude, the ladies can't resist the Wall-man." Clearly not feeling the slightest bit apologetic.

"I'm going to kill you!" Cameron snarled. Wally laughed humourlessly, shaking his head.

"What're you gonna' do?" Wally asked in a mocking tone, taking a few intimidating steps closer. "Drown me in your tears?"

"I did not cry during that game, I had something in my eye." Cameron sneered, narrowing his eyes into fine slits. Wally scoffed, more amused than afraid.

Artemis wriggled in-between the two boys and forced them apart. "Will you guys just cut it out!"

"You know what, she's right," Wally agreed as he continued to glower at the older boy. "I'll see you on the soccer field and we'll settle this "

"Okay, West." Cameron smiled condescendingly before turning around to walk off, then came to a sudden stop. "Or we could straighten it out right here!" And whirled on his heels, slamming his fist into her room mate's face.

Once he got over his shock, Wally tackled him to the ground, effectively knocking the wind out of Cameron and began wrestling around in the sand, profound curse's carelessly thrown around from both boys with each roll.

_What the fuck was happening?_

Artemis didn't ask to see any macho-caveman-showdown shit. No matter how much it gave her the most perfect view of Wally's back muscles, shining in the pale glow of the moonlight. _And God,_ don't even get her started on those biceps.

He really was quite something.

She shook her head, clearing her thoughts._ Now was not the time._

In reality; Some things just needed to be straightened out by a woman. Sighing, Artemis rolled up the sleeves of her top, squinting her eyes, she was able to make out both figures of the boys and marched towards them, launching herself on top of Cameron, strangling him whilst she dug her heels into his sides.

It worked long enough for Wally to gain the upper hand and he slammed his head against his opponent's, rendering Cameron speechless as he flew back and stumbled on his footing, clutching his throbbing forehead. Artemis held on for dear life, refusing to let go until she knew Cameron would take his sorry ass elsewhere, screaming profound language in his ear that was sure to make Zatanna proud.

Cameron reached over his shoulder, his hand locked onto her forearm, and wrenched her off him, his grip so painfully tight Artemis bit her tongue from releasing a gasp. Without warning, he carelessly tossed her aside.

She let out a cry of mild surprise as her right leg took the brunt of her fall when she landed on top of a particularly sharp rock. Spikes of pain shot up her ankle to the same degree of being stung by a hive of angry killer wasps hell-bent on revenge.

Holy shit, it was going to be one heck of a sprain.

Forest green eyes lined with fury met hers briefly, before Wally flew towards Cameron at an in humanly speed, kicking him square in the chest. He then yanked him up from the ground and repeatedly began throttling him in the face without remorse.

Once it got to the point where he couldn't actually see Cameron's face anymore due to the amount of blood and bruises marring his pale skin, Wally carelessly dropped him uselessly into the sand.

His chest heaving as he struggled to control his breathing from his exploding anger. There was another hiss of displeasure and a muttered curse coming from a certain blonde spitfire, and his eyes widened.

"Artemis!" She heard Wally shout as he sprinted towards her and dropped to his knees. "Artemis, are you okay?" He asked, concerned eyes raking her body in search for any signs of damage.

Artemis rolled her eyes, blinking back unwanted tears and pushed him away. "I'm _fine,_ Kid Doofus."

Unconvinced, the redhead tentatively ran his hand down her leg until he reached her ankle, inducing her to hiss in pain. He jeeringly arched an eyebrow.

"I'm finding that hard to believe, babe," Wally said, his fingers feathering over her ankle bone, giving her a really odd sense of comfort. "Considering not five minutes ago you didn't flinch when I touched you like this." Demonstrating exactly how he'd affected her during their little groping session.

Artemis glared.

"Now's _not_ the time, West." She bit back a moan when his hand slid up the inside of her thigh. Wally grinned. Just as he opened his gorgeous mouth to reply (with something extremely suggestive, no doubt), there was a choked groan from behind them.

"I-Is that all you...got, West?"

Wally made a face of pure exasperation and mumbled something unintelligible. He gingerly scooped Artemis into his arms, making sure that he didn't catch her injured leg by accident whilst doing so. She curled her hands around his broad shoulders on instinct, detesting the customary smirk he wore as he trudged across the shoreline, Cameron getting smaller and smaller with each passing second, eventually until he faded into mere blackness.

"What the hell do you think you're doing, Kid?" She asked through clenched teeth.

"Taking you back to the Academy. Obviously."

"Put me down. _Right now._"

"You know, you sure are ungrateful, Arty."

"_Stop_ calling me that."

"Would you prefer Sugar Lips?"

"_No,_" Artemis snarled, elbowing him in chest. Hating that low, lecherous tone he spoke in. Wally grinned down at her and winked.

She huffed in return. "Now put me down, I don't need you to give me a ride back." She had her _own _car to take back. Not to mention she promised to take Conner and Kaldur back.

_Shit. _

The stubborn redhead ignored her and shifted her into one arm as he fumbled around in his jean pockets. He pulled out his keys and unlocked his car.

She blew out another huff and her eyes widened considerably the minute she got an eyeful of his ride. It was a yellow New Camaro SS that screamed _"do me, I belong to a wannabe bad-boy!"_, with two scarlet red lightening strikes running across each side of the car.

It was simply _the_ most sexiest car Artemis had ever seen. And Wally seemed to notice this too as he angled his head closer to hers and whispered, "You like what you see, babe?"

Artemis chewed on her bottom lip and gave a firm shake of her head. "I...I've seen better."

The redhead looked as though he was struggling to hold back a smile at her slurred words that pointed out her obvious lie.

When she'd finally snapped out of her daze, Artemis slapped him on the chest and pointed at car door. "Look _Kid_, are you gonna' put me in or what?" She demanded, silently wondering how the hell he was managing to hold her up for such long periods of time without breaking a sweat.

Plus there was _no way_ she was ever going to miss out on a chance to ride in a sleek and sexy car like this.

That cocky smile suddenly drooped into a frown and Wally mumbled something under his breath. But eventually he complied, carefully placed her lithe body onto the soft leather seat, and climbed into the drivers side, reversing out of the car park.

Artemis spent the first ten minutes of their journey staring out at the fast moving scenery as they sped down the highway, and to be honest, it was far too quiet for her liking. She could tell that her room mate wasn't exactly comfortable with the awkward silence either, since for the past ten minutes he hadn't stopped squirming in his seat-like he had an impulse to move around to help drown out his surroundings.

And it was really starting to get on her nerves.

"I'm no damsel in distress, you know." She muttered, still pretty annoyed at him for his display of macho-manliness at the beach.

Even if she found it really sexy in a sick and twisted way.

There was a quiet pause. Wally shifted gear and put more pressure on the accelerator. "I never said you were, babe." He took a few quick glances at the blonde beside him, noting how her hands formed tight fists in her lap. Her beautiful face turned away from him.

"Its just that...he shouldn't have hurt you like that," Wally stuttered. "And..." He sighed, lifting a hand of the wheel and quickly raked back a few locks of red that were dangling above his eyes. "I guess it just really pissed me off to see that happen to you."

Her head whiplashed in his direction, her mouth slightly open, totally taken aback by his admission. Normally she wasn't the soft and mushy "oh please take me away, Prince Charming!" Type of girl when a guy says something charming or breath-taking.

But with Wally, he made her feel like one of those _pathetic_ girlie-girls who twirl their hair around their fingers and flutter their eyelashes whilst giggling at every opportunity to sound _'cute'_.

It must have been those eyes. _God_, those green eyes would be the death of her.

Despite the direction her thoughts were straying-not to mention the exceedingly nauseating butterflies writhering around within her stomach-Artemis was quick to cover up the look by forcing a scowl.

"I still didn't need your help, West." She said, reaching out a hand to toy with the miniature figure of a hula-girl hanging from his rear-view mirror, dropping it with a scowl. "Besides, it was none of your business to get involved in my shit."

Wally cleared his throat, his grip tightening on the leather steering wheel under her scrutiny, a burning heat travelled up his neck and spreaded across his cheeks, scorching every inch of skin it streaked. He looked as though he was biting back a nasty retort, but then he exhaled slowly.

"You made it my business when you threw yourself at me and practically mauled my _face_ off. I mean, I know I'm totally irresistible and all-"

"That kiss was nothing, West. So I suggest you drop it, okay?"

"I'd say that was a little more than _just_ a kiss, babe," Wally snorted, waggling his eyebrows at her then speeding down the road as soon as the lights changed from amber to green. He cast her a side long glance. "Your tongue was so far down my throat-"

Artemis cut him off once again with a look that promise endless amounts of pain, her face twisting into a malicious glower. An eye twitched.

Wally sighed in disappointment, shaking his head as he parked up the car. He gave her one last fleeting glance before heaving himself out of the car, and pulled open her door. Artemis continued giving him a dirty look and Wally rolled his eyes, swooping down to her level and gently hoisted her into his arms bridal style, he nudged the door with his hip as he locked his (still incredibly sexy) car using one of the buttons on the key chain.

"What's the number?"

Artemis stared at him with a puzzled expression. "Huh?"

An eyebrow rose. "Number. Your dorm room. Ring any bells?" He asked sarcastically, entering the academy from the back so that they didn't get caught for being out past midnight by Luthor or his forever faithful servant Klarion.

The blonde gave him Zatanna's room number, almost blurting out theirs on instinct. Wally walked them through the deserted corridors and crept into the girls dorm, silence becoming the only thing surrounding them, the hall lamps lighting up their way eerily.

Artemis shivered involuntarily.

They finally came to a stop and Wally twisted his neck to the side so that his eyes met hers. "Well, here we are," he mused. "B058."

"You can put me down now." She said, wriggling around to prove her point, determined on getting away from her room mate before she attacked him with full frontal kisses like she'd secretly wanted to do ever since they left the beach.

_Damn him._

"Are you sure you'll be alright?" Wally asked, his eyes searching hers, his grip on her thighs and waist never faltering the slightest.

Artemis rolled her eyes, pushing his face away from hers, hating that adorable look of concern he wore that made those emerald orbs appear larger and more alluring than ever.

"Wally, I've only bruised my ankle, not broken it. I'll be fine, my room is just here. Its not like I'm going to die or anything."

He blew out a shallow breath and tenderly placed her onto her own two feet, flashing her a small smile as a hand came up to scratch the back of his neck. "So...I guess this means I'll see you soon?" Hope sparkling in his eyes.

Her hand paused on the cool metal handle, and craned her head to meet his gaze. "Maybe," she teased with a smirk. "Maybe not. You'll just have to wait and see, _Kid._"

The redhead scrunched his nose in disgust at the nickname, groaning. "How do you even know about that?" He asked wonderously.

Artemis lifted her free hand in the air, shrugging a shoulder. "My brother told me."

Grumbling pointless stuff about waiting until he got back and found the stupid, no-good God of the Sun and how he was going to torture him when he was in deep sleep, Wally took off down the hall.

Shaking her head in amusement, Artemis pushed down the handle and hobbled into the dark room, quietly closing the door behind her. Her hand fumbled around on the side of the wall, desperately searching for a light switch. She breathed a sigh of relief and flicked the switch up.

The sound of someone clearing their throat startled her, and Artemis spun on her toes, her eyes widened, resembling a guilty child who had just been caught sneaking back into the house from being out, underage drinking and taking part in scandalous activities with boys.

(Which is basically what she'd been doing, but that's beside the point.)

Zatanna looked up from admiring her freshly coated blood red nail varnish, a furious expression carved onto her delicate features.

* * *

**E/N: Dont worry, its not going to get anymore dirtier than that :P Like, dislike****? Let me know, people!**


	10. Chapter 10

**A/N: (I know its been super long, and I'm fully aware that I'm a horrible excuse of a person. Forgive me?) **

**And I just want to tell you guys that each and every one of you are perfect human beings! Thank you for all the reviews and favourites (you too, Chalant-writer3 for adding me as a favourite author) I love you all!**

**Enjoy, my little pretties.**

* * *

"Zee, I can explain-"

"Do you know the amount of bullshit I had to come up with tonight just to cover your sorry ass?" Zatanna asked, a hint of malicious intentions in her normally cheerful tone that Artemis wasn't accustomed to hearing. "I had to lie through my teeth and tell your little _groupies_ that _Apollo _wasn't feeling well and got a ride home with a bunch of his friends, because _I _had your freakin' car keys!"

Artemis clicked her tongue with an eye roll. "They're not my groupies-"

Zatanna cut her off with a dark look, her right eye twitching. "I don't care who they are to you, A." She closed her eyes, those unbelievably long eyelashes Artemis had always been jealous of fanned her face, each individual lash separating as she squeezed tightly. Then she conveyed a deep calming and clearing breath in, patting the side of her bed.

Artemis hesitated for a split second, and cautiously sat herself on the edge, her hands playing awkwardly with the frayed hem of her shorts, not daring to make eye contact.

"Well, go on. Spill the beans."

"I-I,"Artemis looked up, puzzled. "...what?"

It was Zatanna's turn to roll her eyes and gave an exasperated sigh. "There must have been _some_ reason as to why you've been out until-" she took a quick glance at her phone, "-almost two o'clock in the morning." Artemis averted her eyes knowing fully well just how good her friend was at reading her.

The magician's eyes bugged out comically as she gave a gleeful shriek, obviously not caring whether or not she woke up the rest of the dorm. "It was because of a _boy!_" She began bouncing on the bed, unable to contain her excitement, her voice growing louder than before. "_Details!_ Who was it? What happened?!"

"Nothing happened, Zee. Sorry to disappoint you."

"I call bullshit. I'm you're best friend, A. plus, you _owe_ me."

Shit. She was totally right.

Artemis ran a hand through her hair, untangling the knots as she told Zatanna about her fight with Cameron, in which the dark haired girl snorted or swore under her breath when she found out about what he had said and done, promising to inflict explicit amounts of pain on the older boy when she next saw his sorry ass.

"There's no need for that," Artemis laughed, resting her chin on top of her drawn-up knees. "Wally already took care of him."

Zatanna mouth dropped open in shock, then a slow and an extremely irritatingly smug grin replaced the look. "_Wally,_ huh?" She crossed her arms and quirked a perfectly neat eyebrow. "Might I ask why that hunk beat me to it?"

"He and Cam kinda' got into a fight...a really bad fight," Artemis could feel her face heating with each word. Zatanna prompted her by nodding her head eagerly, those cerulean eyes twinkling with curiosity. "Because...he may have caught me and Wally kissing." Her teeth cutting into her bottim lip as she finished.

"You were doing _what? _Oh my _gosh,_ A!" Zatanna said breathlessly. "Is he a good kisser?-Wait, why were you kissing?" She rambled, her whole body jerking spasmodically in elation. "_What happened?!_"

"I might have been a _little_ tipsy and I ran into Wally somewhere along the beach..." Artemis played with her fingers in her lap as she lifted up a shoulder in a feeble shrug. "And, well, I just...kissed him."

"What was it like?"

Her teeth dug further into the supple flesh. "It...it was amazing, Zee."

"Uh-huh. And did you do the nasty?" Zatanna asked, waggling her dark eyebrows.

"Zee! _Urgh,_ God _no, _we didn't get that far," Artemis whispered angrily, afraid her voice was growing far too loud. Luckily Megan wasn't here otherwise they'd pretty much be busted right now. "Besides, we were at the _beach_, anyone could have seen us! Not all of us live for the thrills of being caught in the act." She gave her friend a pointed look. Each side of Zatanna's blood red coated lips streched into a freakishly mischievous grin, eyebrows raised.

"So you're saying you _would _have ridden him like your bad little pony,_ if_ you guys were somewhere more secluded?"

"What? No! That's _not_ what I'm saying."

"I'm sensing some pretty strong _denial_." Zatanna teased in a sing-song voice, tapping her forehead.

Artemis huffed. "I can't be dealing with this right now," Limping over to the dark wooden table dresser, she swiped her car keys off the side next to a goofy picture of her and Zatanna outside Zatara's World of Wonders. Artemis was in the middle of rolling her eyes, her mouth open in a laugh. Zatanna on the other hand was pressing her face up next to her rabbit, Rodney, who had shrunk pocket size from one of her spells. She had a gloved hand hovering in the air, a haze of dark purple mist surrounding the three of them.

"Look, I'll see you later, okay?" Artemis finally said, nearing the door that had a huge poster of some stupid (kinda hot) shirt-less guy out of _True Blood_ who's name she couldn't remember (okay, that's a lie. She knew exactly who it was. Jason Stackhouse; A.K.A. Ryan Kwanten), that covered most of the front door, making her wonder how the hell she hadn't seen it before when she came in.

"Artemis, I think you're forgetting something..."

She spun around with an look of pure exasperation, tilting her head to the side and raised her hands in air. What more could she want? Artemis realized what it was as soon as Zatanna fake coughed into her hand, blinking up at the blonde expectantly.

"Thank you _so much_, Zee. You're my _bestest_ best friend in the _whole world._ I don't know how I'll ever repay you." Artemis said slow and sarcastically.

Zatanna smirked, fluffing up her hair as she replied, "No need, sweetheart. Me and Dick may have christened the back of your jeep after those other guys left."

"You better not have done that in my car you dirty bitch," Artemis' lips turned downwards in total disgust, repulsed at the very thought. Her brow creased. "Best friend or not, I will end you."

"Make sure you don't touch the back seat, I think there's still some of Dick's funk on it!" Zatanna hollered, chuckling as Artemis hobbled out of the door and headed for her jeep to get changed into her brothers clothes.

* * *

"Hey, Wall-man." Artemis said as she slipped into their room, her limp becoming less obvious as she put all her weight on the injured ankle, hissing under her breath and silently shutting the door behind her. She discreetly used her index finger to lodge one of her contacts in place that was slipping around with each blink of her eyes. She swung around to face him.

"And just what time do you call _this?_" The redhead demanded, his lips crushied together, transforming into a thin line as he rhythmically tapped his foot against the red carpet.

Seriously? Couldn't she catch a break? First Zatanna, now Kid Idiot.

A corner of her mouth tipped up and her eyebrows sank into a disbelieving gaze. "Sorry mommy, I kinda' got carried away," She sassed, dumping her rucksack of clothes onto her bedspread. "It won't happen again."

Artemis watched Wally's lips twitch, looking as though he was desperately trying to control a bubble of laughter that was on the brink of escaping. He managed to compose himself and stared her down in what must have been his most intimidating face.

It wasn't very scary.

Not when those dusted freckles bunched together as his nose wrinkled. If anything, it was more cute and drew more attention to his incredibly bright green orbs, that where flecked with tiny smidges of gold surrounding his pupils. Something that she'd never noticed before.

"Dude, are you wearing_ mascara?_" Wally unexpectedly asked, breaking her out of her trance-like state as he suddenly appeared right in front of her, his willowy frame towering over her as he leaned in closer to study her face, his expression changing drastically as those alluring eyes bugged, and his lips pinched together in disturbed uncertainty.

Shit. Artemis could've sworn she'd taken off every last inch of her make-up before she'd left her car. Clearly not since Wally was practically gawking at her like she'd just eaten his not-so-secret stash of Reece's Cupcakes.

She took a step back, defying her body's soul instinct to get _closer_ and press herself against him. "I...uh," Artemis began, the gears turning inside her head as she thought of something that sounded believeable. "My sister and her friend put it on me...I was helpless." She shrugged, flashing a lopsided grin and secretly crossing her fingers behind her back.

Wally narrowed his eyes sceptically, then nodded in mute understanding. "You know, you kinda' look a lot like your sister right now." He mused, his brow furrowing as he continued to study her face. Artemis shifted in her stance nervously and her throat tightened, moisture dissipating from her mouth.

She certainly wasn't expecting that. Did he know? Had he already figured it out?

Despite what she was thinking, Artemis feigned confusion and made her eyes as wide as tennis balls, deciding to turn the tables and put him on the spotlight.

"Oh shit, are you turning gay on me?" She asked teasingly with a fake gasp, loving the way her room mate nearly choked on his own spit, his face turning an interesting shade of plum as he repeatedly thumped his chest. "Should I be worried at all?"

Wally's eyes were watering, the unsought tears virtually spilling down his face. "Shut up dude, I _don't_ like your sister." He wheezed in between breaths, grabbing the nearest chair and throwing himself into it, drying his eyes.

At this, Artemis snorted in amazement. The idiot had a funny way of showing it otherwise. "So...what, you just shove your tongue down peoples throats when you _don't _like them?"

"How'd you know about that?!" He asked, practically shrieking.

"Dick told me." She instantly lied, her eyebrow rose as she stared at him perplexedly when he abruptly got to his feet, knocking over the computer chair and began pacing the room. Her eyes followed his movement lazily, loving how his shirt rode up and flaunted the bottom of his well defined abs, as he tangled his fingers in his messy red hair.

"And how the hell does he know?!"

Artemis shook her head and scoffed, occupying herself by rummaging through her draws until she found a clean pair of pyjamas. "Dick knows _everything_ about _everyone_." She said pointedly. "I'm kinda' surprised that _you're_ surprised about him knowing. This isn't exactly anything new about the little troll." She rushed past him into the on-suite bathroom-refusing to acknowledge his broody pout-and hastily tugged on her deep blue pyjamas before leaping onto the bed and casually tucked her arms behind her head.

"Whatever man," Wally said breathlessly as he leapt onto the bed opposite her, and folded his long legs beneath him comfortably. "Artemis was drunk, okay? _She_ kissed _me,_" He looked as though he was lost, and searching for the right words. "And I don't know if its because I was there and just convenient or..." He trailed off, unable to finish his sentence. Then sighed, dragging a hand down his face.

"She makes me feel...like no one else has ever before."

Artemis stiffened in place for a long moment. She had no _idea_ how to respond to that. The cynical butterflies began barrelling around at the pit of her stomach without mercy at his confession.

_No._ They're the complete opposite; she's way too outspoken, and he's a total idiot, who just happens to have a knack for irritating the shit out of her. They would never work out. No matter how much she wanted him.

Take her and Cameron, for example. They'd been together for two years. Two whole years of lies. That asshole had somehow succeeded in luring her into a pointless relationship with all his sweet talk and endless amount of gifts. But now, now she knew that it was all an act, she knew the _real_ Cameron Mahkent.

_Boys cannot be trusted. No matter what type of packaging they come in._

That's why she had to push Wally away, as far away as possible to protect herself. She wasn't going to be careless enough to make the same blind mistake again.

"Dude, you and my sister are two totally different people," Artemis eventually said, not trusting herself to make eye contact with him. "Besides, how do you know you like her in that way? You flirt with anything that resembles a girl."

Wally closed his eyes and swallowed. "Yeah, but that was before I met Artemis."

Her world started rapidly spinning and she inhaled far too quickly, choking on her own breath. She sat up with a start, clutching her chest, her breathing slowly returning to normal as she calmed down, her face heating with incredible force.

"Woah, dude, you okay?" Wally asked with slight concern.

Artemis held up a finger. "I'm fine," She spoke, coughing as she blinked back the water slowly filling her eyes. Wally stared at her, shock written over his face.

"What the hell was that all about?"

"...I swallowed a Gummy Bear."

"You had_ Gummy Bears_ and you didn't even bother to share?!" Wally demanded incredulously. He crossed his arms and pouted. "Dude, there is a bro code, and in that bro code it clearly states 'sharing is caring'." He glared at her and tutted. "You violated that rule. Not cool, man."

"Hit the light, Wallace." Artemis yawned, hiding her face in her hands, simultaneously rubbing her tired eyes. "I'm spent, and you're boring me."

"I'm not your slave, Apollo."

"I think you'll find you are, Romeo. Unless you'd prefer to be my punch-bag?" She questioned, smirking when she heard him mutter "_asshole_" under his breath, and begrudgingly got out of bed to turn off the lights, then stumbled back into the warm confinement's, but not without stubbing his toe on the way.

Unfortunately, Artemis didn't get much sleep that night due to all the exaggerated dying whale noises Wally made about his swollen toe. Which then of course _may_ have led to her giving him something worthy to cry about, when one of her soccer shoes unexpectedly collided with his jaw.

* * *

Her eyebrows met in the middle as she stared at the unknown number displayed on her mobile. No one ever dared to even call her on an unknown. The last prank caller (some jock from her old high school who called himself Tommy Terror, or some bullshit along those lines) learnt _that_ the hard way after she'd kindly shown him all the ways she could redecorate his car using a just few sharp objects, and an armful of pink body paint.

She really couldn't understand why he didn't like the bright purple pansy's she'd painted on top of the fuchsia base coat. If anything, it made his pick-up truck look far more dashing.

Artemis slid a finger across the green arrow on the bottom of the touch screen and held the device up to her ear, deciding to bypass all the bullshit and just get straight to the point.

"Who the hell is this?"

There was a disappointed tut. Some asshole was _tutting_ at _her_. "Forgotten me already, little sis?" The deep voice at the other end of the line chuckled in amusement. "My black heart _bleeds_ in agony."

"Oh, ew. _Its you._" Artemis made a sour face, though there was an unmistakably fond tone to her voice.

"So, how's my _favourite_ sister been without me?" Apollo asked genuinely. Well, as genuine as it could possibly get with Apollo. "I've missed seeing your frightfully ugly face in the mornings."

_Ah._ There was the sarcastic remark she'd been waiting for. "_Charming_," Artemis snorted as she chewed on her pencil, staring at a frustratingly difficult Math question. "Although it pains me to admit it, but, I'm actually missing you too, Jerk-Face."

"Well of course you're missing me! I'm practically the highlight of your life. Your little ray of _sunshine _on your forever clouded days!" He paused, sounding as though he'd ran out of breath. "The list could go on."

Artemis glared at the phone, wishing that her infuriating twin was right there in front of her so that she could shoot daggers at him in person.

"Your ego really knows no bounds."

As soon as the words left her lips, a certain green-eyed redhead popped into her mind. A smile lit up her face as she mused aloud, "You and Kid Idiot would get along perfectly."

"Care to explain who you're referring to, Artemis?"

"Oh," A hot flush crept across her neck and settled on her cheeks, leaving a blazing path in its rouse. "Its um, uh," She fidgeted nervously, crossing and un-crossing her legs on top of her single bed, wishing she hadn't been so stupid to let that slip.

"I'm waiting." Apollo pressed, dragging out his words.

Artemis sighed. "Its just some guy that I met," She chewed her lower lip with a chagrin expression. "That's all. No biggy."

"Uh-huh. _Sure, 'no biggy'_." His voice sounded completely unconvinced and unimpressed. Artemis knew without having to see him (call it creepy twin intuition) that he'd have a smirk plastered to his lips. "So does _'some guy'_ happen to have a name?"

"He might. But why in the world would I tell you?" She questioned bewilderedly. Artemis glanced at the clock hanging in the left hand corner on the wall. Wally said he'd be back before soccer practice started, and it was almost four o'clock now.

"Not that I'm totally not enjoying this lovely catch up session, but I gotta' go." She quickly interrupted, her gray eyes never straying from the scarlet door on her left.

"What? Wait a second, little sis. You can't just-"

"I'm sorry, but I _really_ have to go now! I love you, Jerk-Face!" She said just as Wally stepped into the room, right on time.

Artemis grimaced when she caught eye of the dark maroon bruise streaked with violet marring the left side of his jaw. She drummed her pencil against her open calculus book, and gave him an awkward, half-hearted smile.

His eyes narrowed, and Artemis could've sworn she heard a hiss escape his lips. Wally stalked towards his bed, threw his bag on the floor beside his bedside dresser and picked up his soccer ball.

"Coach wanted me to tell you that the times have changed. Practice starts at 11 tomorrow." The redhead snarled, swinging open the door. He paused and glared at her from the corner of his eye. "_Don't_ be late."

"Where are you going?" She asked as she saw a tall man looming in the doorway, trying to figure out who it was without crawling over her bed and coming across as some crazy stalker.

That perfectly shaped mouth twisted into a sneer. "Away from you."

"Oh come on, West!" Artemis shouted when she heard him stomp off down the corridor, probably heading towards the pitch to blow off steam. "I said I was _sorry_-and trust me, that doesn't happen often!"

"Don't worry, man," Dick poked his head around the half open door, grinning. "He'll get over it." He said reassuringly, pulling his dark shades down off the top of his dishevelled raven hair and covering his striking cerulean eyes.

"I've gotta' hand it to you; it was an _excellent_ shot." He held a hand to his chin, rubbing it as if in deep thought. "And what _beautiful_ colors its left on his face!"

The corners of her mouth turned up in a smile when he gave her a thumbs up, and she dropped her head in an attempt to hide it, not wanting to further encourage her best friend.

"Catch ya' later, Apollo!" Dick hollered.

Artemis blew out a weary breath and swung her legs off the side of her bed. "Could've shut the door," She grumbled. "Is that so hard?"

* * *

**E/N: I know this chapter may not be as exciting as the others, but I do need other things to happen to lead onto the upcoming events.**

**Please review! *bats eyelashes longingly***

**~Beautiful-Dark~ **


	11. Chapter 11

**A/N: Oh my gosh, you guys are doing terrible things to my heart! I feel like some emotional wreck every time I receive a new review (which is a good thing, by the way), and I literally can't decide whether or not I should be dancing on the bloody ceiling like some fucked up version of the Grudge, or breaking down into a fit of tears as I let the tidal wave of feels consume every last inch of me. « I mean seriously, **_**this**_** is what its finally boiled down to.**

**So, yeah. There's a lovely detailed version of all my current feelings and thoughts on all you wonderful people! Anyway, t****his chappy is **_**super**_** long, but I think it turned out alright. **

**Note: I'd just like to point out that I have no idea what I'm talking about when it comes to football (or if you're American at home: soccer) so be very aware that this is just based off stuff I've researched on the internet, and may or may not be correct in any way. **

**UndecidedGirl: Prepare yourself for more Chalant, my friend. Its guaranteed to make your heart melt!**

**Tie Pilot: This first part's for you, I hope it exceeds your expectations :)**

**chocolatedream075: I know, I know! And I'm sorry. I hope this chapter is much quicker for you!**

* * *

"Woah. Hey, are you okay,_ amigo_?"

"Yeah,"Artemis dropped her shoulders, exhaling a sigh. "yeah I'm fine, Jaime." The Hispanic boy looked at her and gave a barely-there smile, clearly not believing her as they exited the changing rooms and jogged out onto the pitch.

Right now, the only _good_ thing about this morning was that the swelling on her ankle had gone down, and it didn't feel like someone was standing beside her with a knife poised at the ready, waiting for the right moment to stab her in the side of her foot everytime she took a step.

"Rough night, I take it?" He asked, his voice hitching at the end as he started his warm up and reached an arm behind him, touching the base of his calf muscle, his back audibly clicking.

"I guess you could call it that." He had no _idea_. Her mind travelling back to last night and how she couldn't sleep one bit, as of the fact that she distinctly remembered not hearing any sound of her room-mate snoring like the elephant he was.

Where had he gone? Artemis didn't know, but all she did know is that if it was about the whole lobbing her shoe at him from sunday night, she was going to rip out his smaller intestine and use it to strangle him.

Harsh? Yes. That's what having zero hours of sleep does to you. Not to mention her whole body was literally buzzing with unused energy after draining a truck load of coffee that could pretty much sustain an addict for more than a week. And her partner seemed to notice this when he turned and eyed her with a grimace. However, he didn't comment and carried on with his warm-up.

Positioning her right leg in front of her and placing both hands on top of her knee, Artemis pushed forward and felt a slight tug in her left calf. She then repeated the same treatment on the opposite leg, before heading towards the wooden benches and taking a chug from her water bottle.

"What about you, did you go to that beach party Saturday night?" She asked Jaime as he stood beside her and did the same.

"_Sí_, I did," nodding his head, he let out a weary sigh. "It wasn't really my thing, but my _hermano_ made me go. And when that guy wants something, he'll do anything to get it."

Artemis snorted in agreement, her gray eyes slid to his chocolate brown and her nose scrunched distastefully. "I know _exactly_ what you mean, I have a friend like that." She muttered, Zatanna springing into her head and flashing her a toothy grin, flexing her lithe fingers in a wave. Artemis mentally bitch-slapped her best friend aside with a perceptible growl.

A dark olive-skinned hand made its way onto her shoulder, craning her head back, she found Jaime staring at her, his eyebrows drawn down into a frown. He opened his mouth to speak when an ear-shattering blow of a whistle rudely interrupted him.

Everyone groaned, covering their ears.

"Alright you dosey bunch of pansies, I want each an' every one of you ta' drop an' gimme' twenty!" Coach Allen shouted in a failed attempt to verbally abuse them. Artemis raised an eyebrow and placed both hands on her hips. The blonde man leaned in closer, cupping a hand over his mouth as if sharing the worlds biggest secret.

"I've always wanted to say that in a British accent!" He whispered, his voice returning back to his normal cheery tone -the one Artemis could just about tolerate.

She shook her head. "It was absolutely terrible, Coach."

His lips scrunched into a childish pout as he slammed his clipboard on his thigh. "Oh, Frodo. You're just jealous that it was awesome and that you don't possess the right amount of brilliance to pull it off."

Artemis snarled warningly, eyes narrowing whilst her hands balled into fists at her sides, barely refraining from pouncing on him and tearing his head off. The blonde man had been calling her that ever since her first day on the try-outs, and he seemed to think it fit, so the awful nickname stayed.

He smirked, both eyebrows raised. And it was like her arm had a mind of its own as it slowly became apparent, more than ready to sock him in the face-when suddenly, someone else's arm wrapped around her middle, effectively pinning hers down.

"Come on, Apollo," Dick hissed into her ear as he backed away from an extremely amused Coach Allen, towing Artemis behind him, her heels digging stubbornly into the soft tufts of grass beneath her feet.

"Well don't just stand there, I said drop, so you gotta' drop!" She heard Coach yell from behind her, that terrible British accent was back. Her teeth snagged her bottom lip, almost drawing blood. She really couldn't stand all the noise, and him trying out different accents was doing a number on her nerves.

"Dude, get down and stop trying to kill Coach with your eyes, its not going to work."

Dick shot out an arm and pulled her down to the floor next to him, his lips forming a tight line as his eyes shifted to the ground beneath her. She let out a loud and irritated huff, creating the exact replica of his position and braced her hands out in front of her, the soft blades of grass tickling her chin with each rep.

After they had each done their twenty push ups (all except for _Frodo,_ who had do do an extra ten for trying to shoot lasers out of her eyes), Coach got them to split into two equal groups. Naturally, her, Jaime, Dick, Kaldur, Conner and of course Wally, were all on a team with a couple of other guys Artemis didn't know that well.

They all huddled round, waiting for their instructions.

"As always, Apollo; you will play center forward," Artemis gave a curt nod of her head in her Team Captain's direction. Kaldur slid his gaze to the two boys beside her, "Jaime, I am placing you in goal and Dick will be a sweeper defending you."

He then turned to face Conner opposite them. "Conner, you and I are both playing as central defenders." His sea green eyes landed on a certain redhead, who was _still _glaring at her. "Wallace, I would like for you to be central midfield," an eyebrow arched as he stared Wally down. "Of course, that is only if you feel as though you are up to it, my friend."

Wally scoffed, crossing his arms over his broad chest, adding in an eye roll. "As if _I_ would have any problems. Don't sweat it, Kal. I got this."

He really was a self absorbed asshole. And Artemis might have let that slip, earning herself a glare as they each positioned themselves out across the pitch.

Things had started off really well, much to her surprise. She'd scored her fair share of goals, bringing both teams up to a total of four all. If her team got this one, they'd win this thing and call it a day. But, if the other team scored and won, Wally would probably blame it all on her and then she'd have to kick his ass.

"Apollo! You ready?" Artemis caught Kaldur's gaze from across the pitch and nodded with determination.

The whistle was blown, and everyone sprung into action. Conner had a hold on the ball, his foot skillfully dribbling it in and out of the other players. He effortlessly passed it to Kaldur just as another guy built like a line-backer slammed into him in attempts to get the ball.

The dark skinned man sprinted down the pitch, bringing the ball away from their teams goal that could very well cost them the game. Glancing up for a split second, Kaldur caught sight of his red headed team-mate and drove the ball high into the air, bouncing until it came to a complete stop, right in the corner of the field.

Wally saw his opportunity, and pounced. Speeding towards the ball, he dribbled it around his feet, confusing a blonde boy in front of him who was also fighting for the ball. With a shit-eating grin, Wally shot it through blonde boys legs, laughing out a passing, "too slow," he headed for the white goal.

Artemis sprung into action when she noticed Wally coming closer in her direction. She ran beside him, covering him as he narrowed his eyes at the goalie, passing the ball from foot-to-foot as he began calculating his next move inside his head.

"Now would be a good time to score the freakin' goal, West!" Artemis grunted out as a large body crashed into her from behind, knocking the wind out of her when her stomach collided with the ground. Her face scrunched in pain, but still, she got to her feet, spitting out a mouthful of grass.

"Ah, _fuck,_" she whispered, testing out her weight on her left leg. The stabbing sensation was back in her ankle. "This is bullshit!"

Licking the sweat off her upper lip, Artemis saw her team cheering, some lifting their jerseys up to cover their heads and dancing on the spot. She frowned. What the heck was going on?

"Hey, you okay, man?" Dick asked as they jogged over.

"Yeah, _ese_. It looked like you took a pretty back fall back there." Jaime added, laying a comforting hand on her shoulder.

Artemis waved off his comment and explained to all of them that she was perfectly fine. Dick gave her a sceptical look, eyeing her ankle. His eyebrows met in the middle as he continued to stare. Her heart rate increased inside her chest, panic surging through her body.

Dick lifted his striking eyes to meet hers. "Apollo, what happened to your ankle? That bruise looks way over a day old and I don't-"

"_Oh, yeah!_ Who's the man?!"

Breathing out a sigh of relief for the interruption, Artemis spun around, wiping her forehead across the blue fabric of her jersey.

Kaldur smiled. "Actually, my friend, I do believe that Apollo deserves that title. If it were not for him, you would not have been able to score that goal and lead us to victory."

Wally's mouth dropped open and his body visibly slumped. Artemis smirked, fake coughing into her hand, and his green eyes sought out hers.

Muttering curse's under his breath, Wally trudged in her direction, his feet scuffing up clumps of mud and grass along the way. "Truce?" He asked, offering out a hand whilst his other awkwardly fisted his red hair. Artemis looked up at him, searching his emerald eyes for any signs of trickery. He gave her a smile and had the decency to look sheepish. She stared at him blankly, before an unwelcomed smile crept onto her face. Taking his hand in hers, Artemis gave it a firm shake.

"Fine, truce. But, only 'cause I missed your snoring last night."

His grin widened.

* * *

"Megan? You're staring. _Again._"

Artemis poked the redhead lightly in the ribs with the end of her trusty pencil, finally managing to bring her back into the present after the twelfth jab. Megan let out a longing sigh and dejectedly teared her gaze away from the dark haired boy across the room.

"You know, this kind of behaviour isn't normal, Megs," she said to her friend in a some-what gentle tone. "And I'm pretty sure it isn't healthy, either." Megan shrugged.

"I know, I know." Her lips turning down at the corners as she fiddled with the bangles on her wrist. "Its just that," she looked up, her amber eyes appearing far more despondent than Artemis had ever seen. It didn't suite such a bubbly and spirited girl like Megan. "I _really_ like him, Apollo."

Artemis slid her gaze towards the front of the class, her eyebrows slowly rising as she watched Miss Prince silently worked in her large art book, her charcoal pencil gliding over the page with such intense strokes, Artemis was afraid to think that the older woman was taking out some sort of pent up anger out on the poor pages.

She blinked a few times before turning back to Megan with a small smile. "So, wanna' tell me what happened at the beach party, and why Grumpy over there-" Artemis gestured to Conner, her thumb hooking over her shoulder. "-hasn't been living up to his name lately?"

"More like _Lost_." Artemis clarified when she saw the mystified expression her friend was offering.

Megan shuffled in her chair with a frown still present on her face, clearly not fully understanding what the blonde was talking about. A smile replaced the look as she stared off into space dreamily, resting her chin in her hands.

"Well, the night started off great! I spotted him by the food stand and plucked up the courage to speak to him. We got talking and he bought me a few drinks-" her amber eyes slid to Artemis, "-but not to get me drunk or anything like that. He was the perfect gentleman." Artemis nodded in encouragement, inching forward slightly.

_At least someone's love-life around here was working out perfectly. _

Megan let out a giggle and continued to space out with her dreamy expression once more. "He made me laugh, we danced and just as the sun was setting and the wind was starting to get cold across the shoreline, he offered me his jacket. And it was all absolutely _perfect _-like my very own fairytale dream-come-true -until Wendy came along."

Artemis clenched her teeth as she watched the redhead's features downcast into another sad and gloomy expression. She was really begging to dislike Wendy Harris less and less, the more she was mentioned. "What did she do?"

"She totally ruined it by saying she wanted to dance and dragged him off. And you know what the worst part was?" Artemis gave a clueless shrug, shaking her head. Megan leaned across the table with a fierce expression, causing the blonde to inch out of her chair. "The whole time she was going me this _look. _You know that really annoying 'I just stole your man, and there's nothing you can do about it' kind of look!"

Artemis' eyes widened. She knew that type of look, and nearly each and every one of the whores who gave her that kind of look would always end up missing patches of their hair after she'd finished with them.

"_That bitch!_" Artemis breathed, a hand made its way to cover her chest. The redhead seemed to agree, her mouth puckering as she glared at said bitch from across the other end of the room.

Both girls let out a sigh and got back to their work, Megan shooting a fleeting glance across the room every once in a while. And Artemis? Well, she was busing herself by tapping her the end of her pencil against her teeth, boredom slowly taking over.

That was up until a tall, dark and handsome man graciously decided to step inside their classroom. Artemis' back straightened, her mouth dropping open slightly as her lecherous gaze hungrily wandered over this man at the front of the class, his full and devoted attention solely latched onto her Art teacher.

And boy, did this guy fill out a suit.

"Miss Prince," Tall, dark and handsome spoke, his low and toe-curling voice washing over her like a caress of the sea along the shore, causing an outburst of sudden goose bumps to break out across her olive skin. "A word outside, if you will." It wasn't a question, more of an amatory demand.

_Oh hot-damn._

Shaking her head, Artemis discreetly sucked in a quick breath. Oh yeah, this guy was a ruthless lady-killer alright. If he could elicit that sort of reaction out of her, then she really wouldn't like to be Miss Prince at this current moment and being at the receiving end of that hard, yet unbelievably captivating stare.

"Of course, Mr. Wayne." The raven haired woman turned towards the class and rose an eyebrow in warning. "I won't be a minute, I expect you all to carry on with your work while I'm gone."

Artemis watched them like a hawk as they exited the room, and a wide grin stretched across her face. "Like _hell_ am I going to do that!" She found herself whispering to no one in particular as she snuck towards the oak door, pressing her ear up to the cold glossy wood.

Several other students swung their eyes in her direction, Wally being one of them and he frowned, before his customary lopsided grin replaced it and he sprinted over, knocking over a couple of books and paintbrushes in his path.

"Do you have something against being quiet, or are you aways this clumsy? Never mind-don't answer that, Kid."

"Put a sock in it, Crock. I'm trying to listen, now scooch on over."

"No way, doofus. Move your skinny ass back over there, you're hogging all the room!"

"I am not! _You're_ the one hogging all the room, Mr. Fat-Ass-Help-I-Can-Barely-Fit-Through-A-Door!"

Artemis gasped in outrage. The nerve of this guy!

...It wasn't _that_ big, only a tad bigger than most.

Just as she was readying herself to beat her prick of a room-mate senseless until Kingdom Come, the door beneath their ears began to shake lightly, vibrating as it connected with the skin of their cheeks. Both their eyes widened-which Artemis would've found really hilarious-if it hadn't of meant they had to make a break for it, and fast.

The pair of them scrambled away from the door as if the Hounds of Hell were on their heels, arms flying around in a flourish as they retreated back to their seats. She turned and looked at Wally a couple of tables behind her just when a very flustered Miss Prince stepped in, smoothening out her black pencil skirt and running a hand through her hair as she reclaimed her seat at the front of the classroom. Panting softly, Artemis shared a breathless laugh with the redhead before twisting in her chair and picking up her discarded pencil.

"I don't think I even want to know what that whole kerfuffle was about."

Touching the tip of the graphite pencil to the tip of her paper, Artemis didn't turn her head as she regarded Megan with an amused smile.

"Its a guy thing."

* * *

Artemis glanced between the two girls as they arguing over which store they should enter next, both their faces painted into equal expressions of anger and frustration. And Artemis? Well, she was just bored...and tired.

"I think we should check out that one, I mean, look at all those _shoes!_"

"Well _I _want to go into that shop with all those sparkly dresses!"

"But Zee...just look all those perfect stilettos, its like shoe heaven!"

"Yep, I've looked and I've seen. And I don't like. We _are_ going into that dress shop."

"I'm only-"

"Would you two just quit it!" Artemis interjected, her hands clamped to her hips, overflowing bags of shopping clanging against her thighs. Honestly, she really didn't know what the _hell_ her friends had been buying for the last three hours, and she certainly didn't know why she was being dumped with their shit when she hadn't spent a freaking cent.

One thing she did know, however, is that the white-hot lava pooling in the pit of her stomach meant that she was close to unleashing hell. And when she did, the Lord of the Underworld himself would be practically cowering in fear from what she was capable of creating.

Silence dispersed around them and they both turned to face her, their eyes wide with what looked like fear. Well, good. She was pissed and it didn't help that every part of her body was aching.

"I'm tired. My legs and bikini-line have been violated by what feels like endless amounts of waxing, and _God_ knows what other crap that woman caked over my body. My feet are fucking killing me, not to mention that I'm also craving my coffee fix and above all: I'm seriously considering committing _murder_ right now."

Zatanna blinked. Then burst out laughing, throwing a hand over her mouth in an attempt to smother the shrill sound. Megan and Artemis turned to look at her with equal glances of bewilderment. Except Artemis looked more like a raging bull with metaphorical steam smoking out of her ears...after all, Zatanna was wearing that scarlet red summer dress.

"I'm s-sorry, A," the magician giggled, her eyes darting in her best friend's direction, the area around her eyes wrinkling. "Its just that...you know I find it funny when you blow off like that!"

"Funny?" Artemis questioned, her right eye twitching as she stepped closer. "You found that, _funny?_" Zatanna paled, her top lip covering her bottom as she bit back a smile, her insufferable giggles causing her body to rattle.

Zatanna scoffed. "Oh, please. You don't scare me, A. You're nothing more than a baby kitten in the fur of a big tiger. All roar, but no claws," lifting a dainty hand, grinning, she made a claw with her fingertips. Her red nail-polish glimmered in the light. "_Reoww._" She purred like some deranged feline, topping it off with a wink.

That did it. "Come here you _little shit,_" Artemis growled, ignoring Megan's attempts on calling her back and sprinting after the dark haired girl, shoving her way through the masses of people walking left, right and center. "I'll make it quick and painless!"

Squeals of laughter erupted from the younger girl as she ducked underneath passers by, muttering out quick and amused apologies, and ran straight over to a small ice-cream stand. Artemis paused, frowning, when she saw Zatanna literally throw herself into the safe haven of some random guy waiting in the line.

"Oh hey, 'Tanna. Fancy seeing _you_ here."

_Oh, hell no._

No way were they _here._

"_Jheez,_ you could have slowed down or something, Artemis! Okay, running in heels is really not exactly the wisest decision I've made in my life. Its virtually impossible!" Megan panted from behind her. "Although, Zee managed just fine. I'm still trying to figure out how she did that, actually. Must be some sort of voodoo magic of hers." She ranted. Artemis didn't comment. Hell, she was too caught up in the fact that all four of her boys were here, and at the same _time._

It was planned, definitely planned. A very well-crafted, evil, plan. She was sure of it. It was way too much of a coincidence otherwise. Not to mention it was also the type of sick stunt Zatanna would pull after finding out about her and Wally's _"steamy make-out session"_ -Zatanna's words, not hers.

Artemis watched, gaping, as one of her best friend's kissed her _other _best friend on his cheek, her dainty arms securely wrapped around his waist. Dick whispered something that made Zatanna blush four shades of red, nuzzling his nose into the side of her neck.

Suddenly, a hand shot out of nowhere and grabbed her own that had limply fallen to her side. "So, we do meet again, _señorita_!" Artemis looked down, her eyes following the length of the arm that the hand belonged to. Like she needed to. She knew exactly who the charmer was that the voice belonged to.

Make that five of her boys.

Her little green-eyed prince placed a kiss to the back of her hand. "Artemis," he breathed against her skin. "Looking absolutely beautiful, as always."

There was an audible, distinctly male gasp from someone in their group, but Artemis didn't bother to look and find out. She was too amused by the sudden turn of events.

"Why, hello Bart," she smiled, her hand sliding out of his to ruffle his chocolatey-caramel brown hair as he beamed up at her. "My little Prince Charming."

"Woah, looks like you've got competition, Wall-man."

"Shut up, Conner!"

"Did ya' miss me, _mi corazón_?" Bart asked, his eyes searching hers.

"Of course I did," Artemis replied, gently tapping the end of his nose with the tip of her finger. "I've been in need of a real man around here, for a while now." He blinked in the most adorable way, a light dust of pink settled across his cheeks as he rubbed the back of his neck.

"Ouch. I'm not sure if I should take offence to that or not. But still, that's gotta' hurt you more, knowing your younger cousin is doing a far better job of charming up your girl more than you. Dude, she even _giggled._"

"Dick! Will you guys just quit it? She's not _my girl. _Besides, she just feels sorry for him. That's all."

Bart angled his head towards his older cousin, glaring. Wally glared back, his index finger drawing an invisible line across his neck and pointed to the boy, his eyes burned a fierce emerald, mixed with molten gold.

Bart ignored the obvious threat and swung his gaze back to the blonde, his face softening. "Are you doing anything this Friday night?"

"I'm, well, I'm not sure yet. Why, Bart! Are you asking me out on..." Artemis frowned playfully, eyeing him warily. "on a_ date_?" Looking as though he was lost for words, her little prince vigorously nodded his head. She gasped, holding back a laugh.

"Oh my gosh, he's so cute and..._squishy_!"

"Ahh, isn't he just?" Zatanna whispered back to the red headed girl, and clutched onto her arm. "Where can I get me one? I _want_ one me one, _now_."

Megan squealed, her hands clawing out in Bart's direction. "Aww, I just wanna' hold him or something!" Zatanna snorted, her eyes darkening as she bit her lip.

"Yeah, _'or something'_." Megan turned to face the younger girl with a look of horror, understanding exactly what that tone of voice meant. Zatanna shrugged it off and carried on staring with a dreamy sigh.

"Okay, I think its time we took the little brat away from our women before he charms them up to an extent where they end up leaving us for him."

Wally grunted in agreement, patting Dick's shoulder. "Hey, I'm with you, pal. Maybe we could break his legs while we're at it?"

"I dunno' you guys, I say we let him do his thing. Maybe Wally can learn a thing or two from him about what _really_ women want."

The redhead stared at Conner as if he'd just suggested petrol bombing every single fast-food restaurant on the planet. "_What?_ I know plenty of things about what women want! Hello? Full-time stud-muffin, right here!"

"Evidently not, Wallace." He replied, raising an eyebrow, his head flicking towards Artemis. Then frowned when he caught sight of Megan also fawning over Bart.

"I agree with Conner, this truly is quite amusing from where I am sat." Kaldur interjected from his place at the fairly small, metallic table. His hand firmly secured around his coffee cup, and smiled into the cup as he took a sip of the piping hot beverage.

Gritting his teeth, Wally ignored their Team Captain and turned back to face the blonde, who now practically had his over-confident little cousin wrapped around her finger.

"Please, _niña hermosa_? Say you'll go on a date with me?" Bart pleaded, though, his cocky grin was back. He waggled his eyebrows. "I'll make all your wildest dreams come true."

"Bart, honey. Don't you think I'm just a little bit too old for you?" Artemis said, her voice taking on a lighter tone as she desperately tried not to laugh. He shrugged his shoulders.

"Age is just a number to me, _hermosa._ It doesn't mean anything."

Just when Artemis opened her mouth to reply, she got a sudden wave of deja vu and narrowed her eyes as Wally stormed over and clamped a hand over his cousins mouth.

"Well, would you look at that! Time for us to go now, _buddy._"

Bart shook his head, his eyes pleading as he frantically kicked out, struggling against him. "Yeah I don't think so, you little twerp," Wally growled, tightening his hold, dragging him away from the three-now shocked-girls. He lowered his voice into a whisper, "you seriously better start planning your funeral, kid. 'Cause its gonna' come sooner than you'd think." Wally jerked him down the hall of shops.

Dick threw a wave-and a wink in Zatanna's direction-over his shoulder and jogged after his friend.

Artemis watched Kaldur stand up with a sigh, chucking his polystyrene cup into the nearest bin and gathered up his things. He turned to give her a weary smile upon seeing her bleak expression.

"Do not worry, Artemis. I will not allow Wally to harm Bart in any physical way." And fell into step beside Conner, the pair of them following after the other three and disappeared into the depths of the crowded mall.

She blinked. Once, twice, and then a third time for good measure. What just happened? Spinning around to face her two friends, Artemis frowned, her mouth dropping open slightly as she lifted both hands and shrugged her shoulders.

"What-"

"Just happened?" Zatanna finished, her brow raised. "Who knows, but I what I do know is that I'm feeling needy...for retail therapy." Then shared a relieved nod with Megan, both of them whipping out their credit cards from their purses.

"Oh, no."

"Oh, yes you are Artemis, its the only way."

"No Megs, I swear I'll scratch your eyes-"

"Zee's right, you really are a little kitty inside a tigers fur coat, aren't you?. Now come on, or do we have to drag you around with us?"

Artemis took a step back, falling right into the clutches of the young magician. "First things first, we need to get you a new dress for that debutant meeting this week!" Zatanna spoke in a high pitched voice that did no good on her hearing.

It was no use. Stomping, kicking, biting, grabbing onto nearby objects (whether it be people or not), and even digging her toes into the pristine marble flooring -_nothing_ worked. Eventually she found herself back to square one. Right outside the sparkly dress shop. Yeah, the one she's pretty sure Edward Cullen shopped at.

"Megan? I hope you're ready, 'cause we've got _a lot_ of work to do."

* * *

"Hey, don't you think its weird that we only ever see Artemis whenever Apollo's not around?" Dick asked his best friend as they stood outside his car.

"Nah, man," Wally said, pulling out his keys and unlocking it. "Just a coincidence."

"What's that about my gorgeous-"

"_You,_" Wally whirled round and jabbed a finger at Bart. "Get your ass in the car. Now."

His arms stubbornly crossed over his chest as he rolled his eyes. "Just because you're jealous of-"

"_I am not jealous._"

Bart sucked in a breath through his teeth at the tone of voice that held total and undeniable jealously. And grinned. "Strike a nerve there, did I, cuz'?"

"Watch it, buddy. Uncle Barry isn't here to save you this time, and I'm this close to punching-"

"Wallace, leave the poor boy alone," Kaldur commanded in a soft tone, poking his head out of the back-seat window. "I promised Artemis to not allow you to harm him in any way."

"Wait, did you hear that, West? Artemis worries about _me. _That is so crash!"

"I'll give you crash, when my hand gets reacquainted with your face."

Opening the passenger side door, Dick slid into the seat next to his best friend. Wally started up the car, Bart practically floating on cloud nine as he began dancing in the back seat-much to both Conner and Kaldur's displeasure as they almost got whacked in the face by the younger boy's flailing arms.

Dick stared off into space as they pulled out of Happy Harbour Mall's parking lot and speeding off down the high-way towards Central City.

Artemis and Apollo, just a coincidence, huh? But he knew there was more to it then that.

* * *

**Oops! I almost forgot the translations: **

**Niña hermosa- beautiful girl**

**Corazón/mi corazón- sweetheart/my heart**

**S****eñorita**_**- **_**girl**_**/**_**woman**

**Bonita- pretty/beautiful**

**I also got these off the internet, of course. So, again, these could be totally wrong. I'd also like to point out that in chapter 8 I used the word amante, which I've now found out means lover. I had Bart call Artemis **_**lover**_**. I'm such an idiot, it scares me.**


	12. Chapter 12

**A/N: I have an excuse for not up loading sooner, I've had so much coursework and college assignments to finish it was absolutely horrific. Plus; I've rewritten this chapter so many times, I'm surprised it hasn't left me brain dead. **

**Anyways, I really enjoyed doing this chapter, it was so much fun (not that I haven't with every other chapter)! And I hope you guys love it as much as I do :) **

**Oh and I apologise if Artemis might have come across a little more aggressive, but I'd just like to point out she was really tired that whole day, so she was entitled to be pissed and wanting to murder people. Don't worry, she's not going to get any worse.**

* * *

A hand slid down and tugged the material of her little black dress that had risen dangerously close to becoming indecent. Artemis peered over her shoulder, watching as other members of the Debutant filtered through the double doors.

She snorted, then laughed when a young boy who looked to be about thirteen, honey blond hair slicked back over his head, dressed in a dark gray tux, stomped through the foyer. His mouth scrunched into a furious pout as he fiddled with the sickly yellow tie around his neck. A brunette woman gracefully followed suit, her nose high in the air.

The woman overtook her son and the little boy pouted, scrambling beside her. "But mother, surely this is a form of child abuse! I cannot take part in such a female gathering!"

"Hush now, Harrison. Everyone is waiting for us. Besides, I do think I recall Cassandra mentioning Cecily was going to be here tonight."

Harrison's face automatically brightened upon hearing the name and he scrambled past their table, mumbling out a quick apology and found his seat beside a girl who Artemis assumed was Cecily. The little girl turned to face her friend with a blinding smile, her auburn hair piled on top of her head in a messy bun, bangs swept to the side of her face. Artemis couldn't fight off the smile that overtook her features at their obvious crush.

"Um, hello? Earth to Artemis. You in there, girl?" Raquel spoke in an amused tone from across the table, pulling her out of her reverie. "You kinda' spaced out for a minute there."

Artemis hitched her shoulders in a careless shrug, picking up the neatly folded napkin on the side of the table and began picking at the soft lace around its edges.

Zatanna heaved a sigh. "We _were_ talking about the hunks at Gotham Academy and how much Raquel's missing out on. Right, Megan?" From the left corner, the redhead nodded and fanned her face.

Rolling her eyes, Artemis couldn't help but smile at her friends' behaviour. Honestly, with the way they act, anyone would think they're deprived of male company. And that was an understatement. "You guys are unbelievable."

"This being said by the girl who made out with one of said hunks, _and _almost got down and dirty right there and then on Happy Harbour's beach." Zatanna said with a smirk. Then she laughed, her blue eyes widening. "You almost had sex on the beach, come on move your body," she sung, dancing in her seat and swinging her hands in the air as she swayed her head. "Sex on the beach!"

Inhaling too quick, Artemis choked on her own breath as she gawked at her best friend with a look of unadulterated horror. "_Zatanna!_" She hissed, casting fleeting glances towards Roy, who now, as she'd feared, was staring at her with raised eyebrows, an expectant look twisted his features that screamed endless amounts of torture if she didn't fill him in on what they're talking about.

And his way of inflicting pain, was by shopping.

Great. This was exactly what she'd wanted to avoid. The guy was like a leech; always sucking up every last drop of information he could hook his perfectly manicured claws in to.

Artemis looked around the table in hope that one of the people she called 'friends' would rescue her. Not one bat of an eyelid.

"'Missy," Roy began, sounding as though he was scalding a child, "tell me _everything_. Right now." Their eyes finally met and he nudged her knee encouragingly with his. She sighed when the others started wiggling in their seats to get comfortable and leaned closer, reminding her of eager little children waiting for story time.

Well, Megan and Raquel, that was. Zatanna-_the little shit_-had already heard this story and was now looking like the cat that caught the canary, slouching in her chair without a care in the world as she inspected her nails, then began tapping away at the small keypad on her phone, smiling like the devil.

The back of her mouth suddenly felt dry and gritty. Artemis took a sip of her water, swallowing the mouthful as she averted her eyes around the room, taking in the large, eccentric chandelier covering up most of the cream ceiling, and wondering if it was real gold. Knowing the people she was surrounded by; it probably was.

Whipping her head around in the direction she heard someone clear their throat, she faced Raquel who had an eyebrow raised and a look in her brown eyes that made Artemis weary.

Artemis opened her mouth, ready to spill the beans, when suddenly a fairly short woman with dark red hair interrupted to get the room's attention before she could utter a singular syllable. She let out a sigh of relief, shoulders slumping, grateful for the perfectly timed saviour.

"I'd like to thank each and every one of you for coming to this formal meeting to discuss the twenty-fifth anniversary Debutant Ball." Artemis shared a groan with Raquel, the pair of them equally not so thrilled about the idea of having to attend. Raquel partly because she didn't have a date, and Artemis...just because it was a fancy, frilly, pointless ball where stuck up people will judge her for how un lady-like she is.

"Thanks to a very generous offer from our very close friend, Mr. Bruce Wayne, the ball will be held at Wayne Manor on the nineteenth of December."

Artemis followed the woman's outstretched hand that led to tall, dark and handsome. The very man who'd interrupted her art lesson last week. Her jaw almost snapped off as she found Dick Grayson sat next to him, looking down at something in his lap that Artemis _hoped_ was his phone.

_Unfuckingbelieveable._

How had she never spotted him before, all the times she'd been dragged along to these pointless meetings? (Okay, so maybe she didn't exactly pay much attention) Unless this was just a one-time only sort of thing.

She hoped it was the latter.

"Now, to discuss the arrangements," the woman said, smiling.

Artemis slouched in her seat, knowing this thing was going to take a while, so she might as well get comfortable.

She was so going to kill her mom for putting her through this bullshit.

* * *

Artemis drummed the tips of her fingers across the mahogany wooden table, each rhythmic beat inching closer to her determining on whether or not she should actually move her ass and look for the girls. All three of them had left almost an hour ago (not that she was timing it or anything), and she was beginning to have inconceivable withdrawal symptoms. Which was honestly starting to scare her.

"Don't look now, 'Missy, but I think that red headed epitome of male perfection over there, is giving you the eye."

Her lips braced together, eyebrows creasing as she slowly followed Roy's line of sight and her breath caught. Suited in a black tux with a simple black bow-tie, his normally messy red hair was now styled up that still made him look sexy, was Wally West. Those emerald orbs were already fixed on her form, and when their eyes locked he gave her a singular, sultry wink.

_Him too?_

What the actual fuck were they _doing_ here?

Seriously, she must've done something pretty bad in a former life to deserve this kind of shit. Artemis let her head slump, blonde hair falling further down her back and she mumbled towards the ceiling, "What have I ever done to you to deserve this?"

She half expected Kaldur and Conner to pop out from behind the curtains.

Roy shifted his body towards hers, laying a hand on her elbow and gave her this _look. _Artemis watched with mild amusement as her best friend began panting like a dog in heat, fanning his face with his free hand and ran his tongue over his bottom lip. Honestly, he was such a _girl_.

"Dear Lord, forgive me. For I'm about to commit a whole lot of sin's," he murmured with a lecherous grin, eyeing Wally like he was the next delicious thing known to man. He then turned to her with a serious expression. "Do you think there's a polite way of asking him to do _impolite _things to me?"

Artemis scrunched her lips together in a deformed pout as she struggled to suppress a grin. Roy had a way of making her laugh, no matter how she'd be feeling. And she hated him for it.

She caught Wally attempting to say something to her from across the room using wild hand gestures. Giving him a simple look, she flipped him off, shuddering. "Urgh, trust me, you do _not_ want to go near him." Resting the side of her cheek on her hand, Artemis then said in an afterthought, "I'm pretty sure he's crawling with all kinds of sexual diseases. You name it; guarantee Kid Frisky's got it."

Roy eyed her quizzically over the rim of his champagne glass. "_Oh, _so you do know him, huh?" Artemis reluctantly nodded her head affirmatively. He raised an eyebrow and took a small sip of the sparkly beverage, before swirling the glass lazily around in his hand as he contemplated his next choice of words, "Care to explain your theory, 'Missy?" It wasn't really a question, since he knew she'd tell him.

That look in those damn blue eyes told her as much. And she caved. Blurting out everything that'd happened from the minute she'd walked through the scarlet door of their dorm room, to finally when she'd kissed Wally at the beach party two weeks ago. Roy, being the understanding friend he was, listened to every word. He never interrupted her, he just sat there and heeded to everything that had been clouding her mind for the last couple of days.

The redhead stilled for a moment, his light eyebrows drawn down in deep thought as he considered all that she'd just told him. Artemis bit her lip nervously, and she had no idea why. Roy placed a comforting hand on top of her own, running the pad of his thumb gently across her clammy skin.

"Why don't you just give him a chance, Artemis?" He finally asked. "You're both obviously in to each other."

The blonde looked up and gave him a feeble smile. "I'm scared, Roy." She admitted, voice barely a whisper. God, why was she even saying this? But it was like she had no control over her own mouth and the words just kept tumbling out, "Me; Artemis Crock, scared of my own feelings." Breathing out a ragged sigh, she stared at their joined hands. Her grip automatically tightened on his, in which Roy returned with a gentle squeeze.

Artemis glanced up with averseness, clear sky eyes met her own stormy gray and she laughed weakly. "Pretty pathetic, isn't it?"

Roy looked like he wanted to give her a sympathetic smile, but he knew she _hated_ people taking pity on her.

"No, hon. Its not." He settled with a crooked smile instead. "Just because that asswipe of an ex-boyfriend was a complete jerk, doesn't mean all the rest of us _real_ men are." Roy straightened and his face twisted into a expression of pure terror. "Believe it or not, 'Missy, its us men who have to watch out for all you crazy ladies!"

Her mouth opened slightly, and her eyebrows creased as she stared at him sceptically. "Roy, what do you know about women. You're gay." She stated bluntly.

"Yeah, but the offers keep rolling in, naturally. I mean, come on, look at me!"

Artemis laughed at that, even if she might've agreed with him. "I'm looking, but I'm just not seeing." She said in a teasing tone. He really didn't need any more strokes to his ego.

Roy gasped and a hand flew to his chest as he gaped at her. "Well that one stung. I'm wounded, 'Missy." Artemis rolled her eyes and tilted her head to the side, shrugging her shoulders with indifference.

Roy Harper: always the Drama King.

"But honestly, Artemis," his voice was now serious, as he glanced at her room mate. "You should just go for it, hon." Twisting in his chair, he took another glass filled with champagne off a silver plater one of the waiters were carrying around. "After all; you don't see guys like that every day!"

Artemis didn't reply, too trapped in thought. Roy took her silence as an indication to continue, and shrugged his shoulders nonchalantly. "And if you decide you _really_ don't want him, be a babe and send him in my direction."

"Um...I don't think he bats for your team, Roy."

He rolled his eyes, vigorously shaking his head as if she had absolutely no clue and lifted a finger, "As a great wise man once said, 'where there's a will, there's a way.'" He turned to look down at her in a way that could only come across as patronising, hand on heart with his nose high in the air, "And I am a strong, independent gay man who has his ways, Artemis."

"Of course, your Fabulousness. I'll keep that in mind." She said, her voice dripping with heavy sarcasm.

* * *

"Uh, oh. That look can't be good," Raquel said when she caught sight of her blonde haired friend grinning deviously. "What're you up to this time, A?"

Artemis didn't reply, instead she grabbed Raquel's hand and practically dragged her behind until coming to a complete stop.

"Talia! How _are_ you?" Her voice painted in a sickly sweet tone that made the dark skinned girl beside her stare with a sour expression as if Artemis were crazy, her brown eyes wide in shock.

The smile that Talia bore slipped into a tinged sneer as she regarded her ex boyfriend's sister. "Artemis Cock-_oops,_ I mean Crock."

"Seen much of my brother dearest lately?" Artemis questioned, her cheeks beginning to ache from the intensity of her grin upon noticing the way the older girl's jaw tightened, green eyes darkening in anger which only spurred her on further, "'Cause, last I heard, he was sleeping around with this girl..." She turned to Raquel and bit her lip to stifle a laugh, "oh, what was her name, Rocket?"

Raquel shook her head, catching onto the plan. "Wasn't it that girl, Selinda?" She offered in an exaggerated tone of wonder. Clicking her fingers, her eyes widened as she faked recollection. "Yeah, that's her name! The one who's twin brother is in Apollo's band."

"What are you diminutive being's babbling on about?" Talia snapped. "My boyfriend and I are none of your concern. And as of my status ranking higher than you both put together; I will not be subjected to listen to this nonsense any longer."

"_Boyfriend?_" Artemis snorted, then laughed heartily. "That's funny. As I recall him mentioning he dumped you at that beach party."

"N'aww, not used to being used are you, _Ghouly_?" Raquel added, smirking. "Should've seen it coming, sweetheart."

"Enough!" Talia stomped her foot and let out a scream that lured several heads in their direction, Melisande being one of them. She pointed a finger at the two girl's and snarled, "You are, both of you are beneath me! I am a Ghul, you dull creature's, and I will _not_ be bullied by-"

"Talia al Ghul! Stop this _at once!_" Melisande hissed, and wrenched her daughter away from the scene as she threw a glare over her shoulder at the blonde haired girl.

Artemis turned and let out a loud laugh, sharing a fist bump with Raquel as they wandered of in search of the bar, having all intentions of sneaking a glass of bubbly without anyone noticing.

* * *

Conveniently, the girls had to leave. Something about Megan feeling unwell and needing to get some fresh air. And, apparently, that took all three of them to go.

Traitors.

And Roy? Well, he was just doing what he did best. Which involved quietly walking around and checking out all the men this place had to offer. That was his excuse for leaving her with this insufferable green eyed devil.

Artemis was going to kill all of them. Painfully slow.

She ran her eyes over the length of Wally's body, loving how good he looked in a tux. Because, seriously; there is nothing more attractive than seeing a man in a suit. Next she watched his mouth, mesmerised by how his lips moved with each word he spoke, yet she didn't hear. Her pulse quickened when his tongue (God, don't even get her started on what he could do with that thing) darted out and wet his lips.

"Artemis?" His tone was puzzled, yet, amused. "Are you even listening to anything I'm saying?"

"...Hmm? Oh, yeah." No. How could she?

The smirk he wore caused her to frown, bottom lip jutting out faintly. Annoyed at the fact that he _knew_ she'd been ogling. Needless to say, it only made that infuriatingly smug smirk widen as he leaned back against the pillar. The amount of arrogance in that one move was so overwhelming, Artemis had to grit her teeth to stop her from doing something stupid she'd probably regret later.

Wally laughed huskily, a deep and throaty sound that vibrated throughout her very being, and his eyes unabashedly sought out hers. "I said; are we really going to pretend that nothing ever happened between us that night?"

The length of her spine tensed at his question, unable to phantom the reason why he _had_ to bring this conversation up now. Artemis feigned indifference, averting her gaze away from his. "That what happened?" Her voice sounded unfamiliar to her own ears, and drenched in guilt.

This time, his laugh was sullen. A forced choking noise. "I'll take that as a yes then." He was unnaturally quiet. Then he breathed out a sigh, almost frustratedly. "Artemis, look. You can't keep avoiding this...this _thing _between us."

"I'm not avoiding _anything_, Wallace." That was a lie all in itself, and they both knew it. "Can we just not talk about this now? This isn't exactly the best place."

The redhead snorted. "What, so that when I bring this conversation up again later, you'll bail?"

God, how did he know that she'd do exactly that? "Wally, please..." She trailed off.

He sighed resignedly, and nodded his head submissively in acceptance. Wally swallowed and tore his eyes away from the newly-polished floor. The amount of hurt swirling in amidst those usually cheerful green orbs was so overpowering, it dulled the gold flecks into mere bleak splodges.

And, boy, did she feel guilty. That kicked puppy look he was giving her almost made her cave. Almost.

Just as things where beginning to get quite awkward, a woman with short copper-brown hair who looked to be in her early forties wearing a dark magenta long-sleeved dress, made her way over towards the two teenagers, the flared out skirt swishing around her ankles with each pressing step. She was accompanied by a slightly taller woman looking to be in her late thirties, long red hair tumbling down her shoulders, hiding the tips of the forest green bodice of her dress.

"Oh, uh, hey you guys," Artemis watched as Wally chewed on the inside of his cheek, awkwardly shoving his hands into his pockets. She studied him for a moment, curiosity getting the best of her. He lifted his gaze and began shifting from foot-to-foot, unable to keep himself still. "I was just, um..."

As if sensing his apparent state of uneasiness, the slightly taller woman spoke up, "Well, honey, aren't you going to introduce us to this beautiful woman beside you?" Then sent Artemis a kind-hearted smile that was so contagious, she couldn't help but return.

She tried to force back an eye roll when her idiot of a room mate began stuttering out incoherent words, explaining who Artemis was with hue of scarlet dancing along his skin as he gestured to his blonde haired companion.

Mary, the woman who Wally had introduced Artemis to as his mother smiled, her eyes darting between the two. "Oh, so _this _is the famous Artemis Crock I've been hearing so much about from my son and nephew." His aunt nodded her head in agreement, sharing a look of vindictive delight with her sister-in-law as they pinned their gaze on Wally.

Artemis glanced at him out of the corner of her eye, an eyebrow raised in questioning, smirking deviously. Her amusement only grew when he broke off with a flustered look, sending the two older women a glare.

His mother's smile only broadened, her eyes landing on the blonde girl and then back to her son.

This was beginning to get ridiculously awkward since they were staring at her with wide smiles. Clearing her throat, Artemis gave Wally an expectant look, practically conveying her thoughts. Her gray eyes widened considerably in surprise when all of a sudden, she found herself being pulled into a tender and warming hug.

"Its so nice to finally meet you." Iris spoke when she eventually freed the younger girl from her bear-hug.

"Um, you too?" Artemis replied, a hesitant edge to her voice and gave a lopsided smile.

"Honey, I've been looking for you _everywhere!_"

Artemis peered over her shoulder in the direction she heard the conspicuously male voice whine from behind them, groaning under her breath at what she found.

This seriously couldn't be happening to her right now.

Iris shook her head, smiling, and placed an affectionate kiss to her husband's cheek. "Uh-huh, was this before or after you raided the food stand?"

Barry only blew out a frustrated breath, but didn't comment and wrapped an arm around his wife's waist. Wally grumbled out curses, vowing how he'd make his uncle pay for eating all the decent free food.

The blond man looked around and his green eyes eventually landed on Artemis, then he frowned inquisitively. "Do I know you?" He asked, and looked over at Iris as if seeking her confirmation. "You look sorta' familiar."

Swallowing, Artemis glancing down at her heel clad feet, admiring how the black sparkled under the vivid lights everytime she moved. "My brother's on your soccer team." She muttered as she looked up, watching his eyes light up with recognition.

"_Frodo!_ You-you're Frodo's twin sister?" Barry exclaimed, his mouth turned up at each corner and he chuckled. "My,my, aren't you a tiny little thing, too!" Her face contorted into a facet of rage as she scowled, biting her tongue.

The red headed woman tucked under his arm rolled her eyes and told him that 'Frodo's' sister had a name. Barry merely shrugged his shoulders, assuring Iris that he knew that and he was only joking with her, then excused himself and his wife, waving a goodbye as they headed towards tall, dark and handsome; otherwise know as Bruce Wayne.

Tearing her gaze away from her in law's, Mary looked over at her son and smiled a secret smile. "She really is beautiful, honey." Wally blushed, swallowing thickly as his mother walked away, leaving the two teenagers alone, drowning in the awkwardness lingering in the atmosphere.

Remembering her and Roy's conversation, Artemis took a deep refreshing breath in, vanquishing all her negative feelings and decided it was incredibly stupid not to take a chance on insanely loveable, Wally West.

She turned to face her room mate. "Wally?" Looking into the depths of his emerald eyes, she smiled genuinely. "Next Friday, six o'clock. Girl's dorm. Don't be late."

And, okay, maybe Artemis took way too much pleasure in watching his eyes bug out in mute shock, and his mouth fell open slightly, the words he wanted to speak lodged uselessly at the back of his throat.

"Oh, and I'm a sucker for Thai food." The blonde threw over her shoulder as she sauntered away, her hips tantalisingly fluctuating with each deliberate step. "Catch you later, Kid."

Immensely pleased with herself, Artemis stepped outside and ambled her way through the stony footpath of the venue's car park, a stupid smile still plastered to her face that raised questions from her friends the second she climbed into Roy's car.

Artemis could only grin at their obvious disappointment when she wouldn't answer a single question to quench their curiosity.

She was going on a date with Wally West.

* * *

"I can't believe you told her, Zee!"

The younger girl offered a mere shrug from her place atop the leopard print bedspread, shaking the small pot of nail varnish as she calculatively examined Megan's fingernails.

"She was going to find out sooner or later, A. Besides, I couldn't keep it a secret from Megs, I mean, she's practically one of us now."

Artemis groaned, mumbling incoherently as she flopped onto the red head's bed opposite her two friends and buried her face into the soft pillows.

"Fine. Its not like there's anything I can do about it now." She muttered. Sighing, she dragged a hand down her face. "But you can't tell _anyone, _Megs. This has to be kept between us." Her stormy eyes slid towards the dark haired girl and she glared meaningfully. Zatanna stuck out her tongue, nose scrunching before getting back to her task and expertly layered Megan's nails with blue polish that matched her freshly done toenails.

Rolling her eyes, Artemis gave into the temptation and swiped one of the redhead's fashion magazines' off the bedside table, and began to skim read through the first couple of paragraphs. There was absolutely _no way _in hell werethey going to get a hold of her and give her the same horrifying treatment. The last time they'd done it, Artemis nearly had a heart attack.

"Well, hello there, ladies." Came a suave voice from the corner of the room.

Artemis sat up and found none other than Dick Grayson wearing a lazy smirk as he rested against the doorway, both hands shoved into the pockets of his dark khakis pants, those ridiculous sunglasses perched on top of his head, as he wore a lazy smirk.

Zatanna craned her neck back so that she could get a better look at him, and smiled, her cerulean eyes brightening. She immediately handed Megan the miniature paintbrush and a handful of cotton wool pads before rushing into his waiting open arms. Dick chuckled, his arms snaking around her waist and twirled her in the air, making her giggle before planting a chaste kiss to her forehead.

Artemis gagged, then shuddered at their display of affection. Megan on the other hand, watched with a dreamy smile, both hands clasped tightly together in a knot and held them up to her face.

"Please stop doing that in front of us, I think I might puke," Artemis raised an eyebrow, turning towards the couple, "plus I think Megs might actually keel over and die from all the mushyiness." Proving her point, the redhead sighed wistfully and squeezed the life out of her hot pink unicorn plushie.

Dick's head suddenly shot up and focused on the blonde as if he hadn't even noticed her there in the first place. His eyes narrowed the slightest with what looked like apprehension, but the expression was quickly dissipated by a smirk. He whispered something to Zatanna and proceeded to close the door after him.

"I think he's onto me." Artemis whispered to no one in particular, intensely observing the door, worried that he might come back and figure it out. She'd got to give him some credit; Dick isn't as stupid as he might act.

"Don't be ridiculous, your disguise is totally fool proof," Zee laughed, brushing off her comment with a imperturbable wave of her hand. "It even fooled Megan."

The blonde haired girl didn't say anything as her brow furrowed, her eyes filling with disbelief whilst she watched the plushie do the moonwalk, then proceeded to do a series of cheer routines. Finally finishing the extremely bizarre dance by landing in the splits position, glitter covered hoofs high in the air, Megan giggling the whole way through her little performance.

Blinking, Artemis turned her head and glared at Zatanna. The younger girl slowly shrugged her shoulders, the corners of her mouth turning downwards awkwardly. "Don't worry, you're just being paranoid, A."

She really hoped Zatanna's theory was right, because if not; her plan was toast. Not to mention she'd probably be grounded for the rest of her life to live with the shame.

Megan and Zatanna glanced over, both wearing matching looks of curiosity when her phone began buzzing loudly in her jacket pocket. "Who's that calling you, A?"

"Is it _Wally_?" Megan asked with a squeal, beaming, amber eyes lighting up with excitement.

The blonde haired girl stared expressionless at her friends' and shook her head as Zatanna crawled to the end of her own bed, practically hanging off the edge to get closer. Artemis then rolled her eyes, huffing, "Its just my mom, you guys. Keep your panties on."

Answering the phone, her mother immediately launched into conversation, explaining to her daughter that she'd be back early, hopefully no later than next week and that she missed her very much. Paula then asked how the meeting went this evening, and Artemis recoiled.

"Ah, yeah...It was, uh, totally _awesome,_ mom."

Her mother dismissed the sarcastic tone to her voice and without hesitation, she asked, "Was Melisande there?" Her accented voice a strained growl.

She choked on her own breath, and swallowed back a laugh, remembering how she would've almost had her head taken off by the brunette woman if there'd conveniently happened to be a scythe lying around nearby.

There was an audible growl, and Paula spat out something in Vietnamese that Artemis didn't have time to translate. All she knew was that it wasn't complimatary.

The older woman eventually sighed with what sounded like apprehension. "Tell me, Artemis, how is that infuriating son of mine?"

"Hmm? Oh, yeah, he's fine...you know," she said distractedly, remembering how only yesterday she got a phone call from her twin, informing her that he and his band were doing great, and that Baran Flinders said that he's missing her. Artemis shivered at the thought of the little creep-well, actually-he wasn't exactly _little _per se, what with those steroids he'd been taking over the last couple of months.

"He's doing just great." She finished, sighing.

There was a quiet pause that made Artemis panic kick up a few notches, and she chewed her nails. In due course, her mother hummed in acknowledgement, although, clearly not convinced and said, "I do hope you are not up to something, Artemis."

She gaped at the phone in her hand. "No, mom! Jheez, why so suspicious?"

"I have the right to be suspicious when it involves you or your brother." Paula quipped conceitedly.

Figures; her mom finally decided to get a sense of humour. Artemis grumbled something unintelligible under her breath. The older woman laughed before uttering out a hurried goodbye, insisting that one of their distant cousins' was about to undergo ten rounds of tequila for a dare and she wasn't about to miss it, and ended the call.

"What was that about?"

Artemis turned and regarded the young magician, shaking her head meekly. "You don't want to know."

"You're right; I probably don't if it doesn't involve your latest love interest," Zatanna gibed as she vaulted off her bed and clambered beside her blonde haired friend, who arched an eyebrow questionally, but didn't look up from the magazine in her lap.

"What are you doing. You look like a gorilla when you do that." Artemis deadpanned. Megan looked over at the scene and giggled in her agreement. Her airy laughs came to a sudden stop when the raven haired girl sent her a vicious glare, her dark eyebrows raised accusingly.

"So...what's going on with you and Yummy-kins?" Zatanna asked pressingly, her voice clearly displaying her barely contained excitement that earned her an eye roll.

"None of your business, Zee."

Just as the younger girl went headfirst into a full on rant about how best friends should always share information regarding their latest boy-toys, Artemis looked at her phone before diving off the bed and scooping up her discarded bag. She turned to face her friends, mumbling out rushed words on how time flies when you're having fun, and threw herself out of the door and sprinting down the hallway without a backing glance.

* * *

**E/N: I'm not even sorry for The Avengers reference (if you guys spotted it). It was just so Talia.**

**Whaddya think? Just make my day and leave a review :) **


	13. Chapter 13

**A/N: This is it. The moment we've all been waiting for. And yet; I still think its crap. I don't know, I mean, it sounded perfect inside my head...just didn't when I tried to put it into words. -Le sigh- Anyway, you'll understand what I mean.**

**Holy Chalant- Batman: O: I **_**love**_** your new pen name! *hugs you* its brilliantly awesome!**

* * *

Thank God Calculus was about to finish, because she seriously didn't think she could take much more of it. Especially since her teacher John Smith, was the most boring and mono tone man she'd ever had the misfortune of meeting.

The whole day had gone way to slow for her liking, and since it was now mid October, it'd started getting more drafty during the day, therefore she really needed to start wrapping up warmer before she caught hypothermia in class. Which meant that she was going to need to sneak into her dads house and grab some more of Apollo's clothes, because the asshole had been living with her father.

But she couldn't be thinking of that right now, it was too complicated and stressful.

Artemis jumped out from behind her desk upon hearing the bell, shoving her textbooks and pens into her rucksack and waited for Megan outside the classroom door, her foot impatiently tapping on the squeaky corridor floor.

"Jheez, a girl could go gray by the time you show up." She joked as the amber eyed girl strolled out of the doorway, head down, fumbling around with her bag whilst she tried to shove in her last book. Megan smiled good-naturedly, before launching into conversation about the whole identity swap as they headed towards their lockers.

"I mean, I can't believe I couldn't recognise you!" She gushed, hands wildly thrown left, right and center to show her disbelief. "I'd wondered why you always smell so..._clean,_ and why your eyebrows are so perfectly plucked. But I just thought that you were more in touch with your feminine side, or something."

Staring at Megan like she'd grown another pair of arms, Artemis shook her head. "Never judge a book by its cover, Megs." Was all she said as she undone her locker door, shoving in her un-needed books and butting it shut with her shoulder.

"Anyway, I'd love to stay and chat about me being a feminine guy, but right now, I have a date to get ready for."

Artemis smirked when the redhead nodded distractedly, and left her friend fumbling around with the code on her locker.

"A _date?!_" Megan suddenly shouted in mixed surprise, with a hint of anger coloring her tone as she desperately tried to shove all her text books into the small space. "Arte-_Apollo!_" She hissed, her red hair whipping around her face as her head snapped to the left, seeking out the blonde girl in the sea of heads swarming around her.

* * *

"You don't just drop the 'D' bomb and leave me like that!" Megan grumbled as she fiddled with a blonde strand of hair, reaching over her friend's shoulder, picking up a clip from the vanity top and sliding it place.

An off-handed shrug was all she got in response.

After one final primp, the redhead squealed and began complementing herself on her hairdressing skills, spinning the chair around to face the mirror.

Artemis gasped, eyes widening in shock. A subtle amount of mascara lined her lashes, lengthening the strands and making her gray orbs stand out. Loose, golden curls spilled down over her shoulders, ending just below her ribs.

Tipping her head to acknowledge Megan, she smiled in amusement. "I would say you're amazing, but I think you've stroked your ego enough already for the both of us."

The door abruptly swung open, startling the pair of them. In pranced Zatanna like some runway model; dark wavy hair bouncing around her shoulders with each click of her heels, three Starbucks cups stacked on a tray. She struck a pose, and lifted the tray up in the air.

"The cavalry has arrived!"

Artemis arched an eyebrow questionally, and Megan rolled her eyes at her room mate, hands on her hips. "Zee, you're_ late!_ You were supposed to be here over an hour ago!" She scolded, and the Italian girl had the decency to look ashamed. "And I bet its because you were with Dick again, weren't you?"

"There's a possibility I got sidetracked," Zatanna admitted. "_But_...look! I bought peace offerings."

Megan gave her a sceptical glance, and took a peak inside one of the styrofoam cups, amber eyes bulged and she mumbled, "We forgive and we forget." Practically snatching the hot drink and sighing blissfully as she downed the last of it.

Artemis stared at the last cappuccino placed in front of her, the steam filtering through the small rectangular opening at the top, the spicy fresh aromas making her taste buds water. It wasn't exactly coffee, but hell, it had caffeine therefore it would serve its purpose in calming her nerves.

Mumbling her thanks, she took a hesitant sip as she glanced at the clock. Any minute now, Wally was going to get here.

"A, I think your toy-boy is at the door!" Zatanna whispered in a half shriek as she looked through the small peer hole.

Talk about timing. Artemis was pulled out of her seat and into a good luck hug from Megan, who then promptly handed her black shoulder bag before gently shoving her out of the door without giving the blonde haired girl a chance to register what the hell had just happened.

Her heart must have suddenly taken up a liking for acrobatics, because she was pretty sure somersaults were being performed inside her chest when she peered up at Wally. He gave her a wide smile that made each corner of his emerald eye crinkle.

Nervously she returned the smile and followed him down the corridor, exasperated when he wouldn't tell her where it was that they're going. His only answer would be "its a surprise".

And Artemis really hated surprises.

* * *

Scratch that. Artemis _loved_ surprises. Worshipped them.

The food was incredible. Wally must've listened to her well at the meeting, because when he pulled into a local Thai food restaurant in Gotham City, Artemis had almost squealed in excitement. Almost. What? She liked her spicy foods.

It was a cute little place, with dark brown swirls contrasting against the creamy white walls, and traditional wall hangings framing the entrance. Red lanterns encased the hanging lights, giving off a warm, comforting vibe. Banners and streamers hung from each of the windows. Small tea lights scattered the rooms, set inside rectangular holes in the walls.

They'd just finished their meals, and at least seven plates cluttered the table. Most of which weren't hers. Artemis had stuck with having her favourite; _Khao soi Chiang Mai_. Which was Northern Thai curry noodles, with chicken and a mix of deep-fried and cooked egg noodles.

Wally, however could clearly eat for America, since he'd gotten two of what she'd had, _plus _he'd ordered a giant plateful of chicken rice.

Then of course they both had dessert, a bowl each of mango with sticky rice (which really should be called "Heaven in a bowl" instead). Bonus for Artemis; Whilst Wally wasn't looking, she successfully managed to steal a few slices of mango off him.

Now though, she was irritated and he was being too stubborn for his own good.

"Wally, don't be stupid. I can pay for my own food." Artemis forced back an eye roll and reached into her handbag. The redhead stopped her with a hand on her arm, and gave her this _look_.

"Don't you dare, Artemis." He said with such authority that her eyebrows rose in shock. "I wanted to take you out -have been for quite a while now, and I ate most of the food, _including_ the rest of yours. So I'll pay."

She went to open her mouth and protest, but then sighed defeatedly, knowing he had to do this for the sake of his male dignity, and nodded. Wally's smile couldn't have been any more proud as he passed the waiter his money, plus a tip, before tucking in his chair and offering out a hand in which Artemis took, automatically linking her fingers through his as they strolled out of the restaurant.

He looked down at their joined hands with a raised eyebrow, and what appeared to be a smug smirk, but didn't comment.

"So, where do you want to go next?" Wally asked, starting up his car and pulling out of the exit.

She studied him for a moment; taking in the way his green eyes seemed more vibrant, more _alive _than usual as he sent her nervous glances every so often, almost like he was making sure she was happy, and having fun, which is totally crazy seen as she was always happy when around him (albeit, even if in some of those times he was being a self conceited jerk).

"Uh...Artemis?" His voice was slightly off. Shaky.

Oh, right, hadn't he just asked her a question? What _was_ the question, again? Artemis couldn't remember, so instead she settle with an acknowledging, "Hmm?" Which in turn, Wally rolled his eyes and repeated his previous question, not taking his eyes off the road.

Artemis gave him directions to one of her most favourite places in the world, and he happily listened to her, although, he did so as he sung out of tune to a song on the radio at full blast.

Once he'd locked his car, he jogged up the chipped concrete steps, worn away in time from the thousands who'd come and gone.

"Central Park?" Wally glanced at her, but the blonde haired girl didn't notice, too busy running her palm over the intricate patterns of the looming black gate. A wistful sigh escaped her lips and she turned to him, jerking her head towards the entrance.

"Well, what're you waiting for, West? An invitation?"

Beaming, Wally sprinted after her and joined their hands once more, then ran down one of the cobble-stoned paths leading into a secluded garden area, Artemis practically being skied behind him, laughing at his childish antics when he had to point out anything and everything in mock wonder.

They sat down on a log bench mirroring a wide circular pond, joking around and talking about Wally's childhood. Artemis smiled, chewing her lip at his face as he told her a time when he accidentally set fire to his kitchen when trying to cook a microwaveable burger (don't ask), and how his mom almost had a heart attack when she walked in and found their microwave was burning, and him standing awkwardly in the middle of the crime.

"So, what about you?" Wally asked her, nudging her shoulder with his. "Is this place a childhood memory?"

Looking around, taking in the varieties of colored flowers spattered in amongst the woodlands surrounding them, Artemis remembered all the times Lawrence used to take her, Apollo and their mom out on picnics every weekend. Family tradition. She gave a lopsided shrug. "I guess so."

"When me and my brother were little and my dad wasn't a complete asshole, he used to bring us here, every Sunday lunchtime." Their eyes met and he gave her an encouraging look, so she continued, "but then he...he changed. Dad got into soccer, started up a team at Happy Harbour, turned into a chauvinist prick when I showed interests in soccer, and, well, you get the rest."

Artemis dropped her gaze when he began staring at her intently, brow drawn in a frown. He clearly didn't know what to say to that. To be honest, she was glad, because she didn't really want to talk about it any longer.

There was a split moment of silence, until something wet and cold splashed down the front of her shirt. Head whipping up in shock, Artemis glared at Wally, grinning triumphantly. He waggled his eyebrows, pointing a hand to her top. "Hmm. I remember us being in a similar situation...only you were plastered against me."

"Oh, you are _so_ going down, Kid." It came out as a chuckle, and she charged at the redhead, taking his by surprise and dunking his head under the water.

After she'd let go, practically screaming with laughter and she placed each hand to steady herself on the marble edge of the raised pond. Artemis watched him from the corner of her tear blurred eyes as he swiped a hand down his face, his hair plastered to his forehead and temples, rivulets of water rolling down his throat and dripping down into his shirt.

A fresh round of giggles erupted, and she bit her lip in an attempt to cage them back, her eyes scrunched shut.

Two strong hands wrapped around her waist, startling the blonde and she let loose a squeal as Wally threw her over his shoulder like she was nothing but a sack of potatoes.

"Ohh, don't you _dare_ even think about-"

"Sorry, babe, but you asked for it." He cut her off and shifted her so that she was now cradled in his arms, and he smirked down at her. "No one messes with the Wall-man and gets away with it!" Before she could even utter out a death threat, he dropped her, water encasing her body and all kinds of slimy stuff that Artemis didn't even want to think about.

"I can't believe you just did that." She breathed, pulling back a clump of hair that'd stuck to the curve of her cheek.

With a snigger, Wally offered a hand in which she growled at, then her mouth tugged into a devious smile as she took it gently. In one rough tug, Artemis had the redhead splashing in the water beside her.

"That's what you get for messing with me," Artemis murmured. She ignored his pout and slapped his hands away from his face as he tried to pull off a lump of slimy green goop caking his forehead. "Shit. We've got to get in your car like this." brushing away his hair, she pulled off the last of the muck. Her legs were entwined with his, and their mouths a breath away. Wally licked his lips, green eyes darting down to her own before flitting back up to meet her gaze.

Arching an eyebrow, Artemis inwardly laughed. If he thought that this was a moment, then he was sorely mistaken. Teasingly, she angled her head to the side, her nose grazing his cheek. She felt his breathing hitch. Abruptly, she reeled back and scowled. "This is your fault, Wallace!"

"_Ouch!_" He furiously rubbed his cheek and frowned at her open mouthed. "Mind telling me what the hell was that for?!" She shrugged, climbing out of the pond and began wringing out her shirt, then switched to her hair.

"We're soaked, and now I smell like stagnant pond water."

Wally gave her this look before joining her, puddles pooling at their feet as they wrung their clothes out. With a huff, the redhead whipped off his shirt and used it cleaned off the little bits of leaves stuck to his chest. And Artemis wasn't staring at all. Nope. No she wasn't.

"Fancy taking your top off, too?" His eyes are now up, and an eyebrow cocked jeeringly like he hadn't just asked her that. "I mean, its only fair that I get the chance to ogle like you were a second ago."

Artemis raised her middle finger, and scoffed. Though Wally must've seen her hidden smile because he grinned, and gestured for her to follow him. Rolling her eyes, she strutted in front without a backing glance, her thighs stiff from the fabric of her drenched through jeans.

* * *

Twenty minutes later, after squabbling in the car on what was the best way of drying their clothes (Wally had insisted they strip and hold their stuff out of the windows. That didn't exactly go down well with Artemis), they arrived back at the Academy.

It looked like they'd been dragged through a hedge backwards; hair disarrayed and sticking up at all angles, clothes half dry and creased, their shoes squelching as they hobbled through reception. The brunette woman behind the desk peered up at them, taking in their ragged appearance, then continued filling out paperwork as though seeing students like this was a normal thing for her.

"Well, I guess this is where we go our separate ways, huh?" Wally turned to her as they stopped outside Megan and Zatanna's dorm room. "Parting is such sweet sorrow that I shall say goodnight till it be morrow." He winked, leaning into the wall beside the door. "That's Billy Shakespeare, by the way, babe."

Suppressing a laugh at his idiocity, Artemis rubbed her temples but didn't correct him. It was more amusing knowing that he didn't know the right name of the most greatest play writer in the world.

Standing on her tiptoes, she pressed a light kiss to his cheek. The side she'd slapped earlier. "Thanks for tonight, Wally. I had a lot of fun."

"Wait, that's it? That's all I get?" He exclaimed as she turned her spare key into the lock, and nodded with a smirk. "Oh,_ come on!_"

"Maybe next time, Wallace."

After spending a really, really long time filling the girls in on her date with Wally, and having to listen to all their girly shrieks and wistful sighs, Artemis took her spare clothing bag out of Zatanna's closet and got changed in their bathroom.

Rushing down the abandoned hallways, she entered the boys dorm and almost ran face first into a tall and wiry figure, that hissed.

Wait, what?

"Watch where you're going, Crock."

Looking up, the first thing Artemis saw was a bright orange tabby cat. God, she _really_ hated cats. Following the shoulder it was perched upon, she stared up into deep crimson eyes and snarled. "Or what? What're you going to do, Witchboy?" She let out a haughty laugh and barged past him. "You're pathetic. Get out of my way."

A cold and disdainful hand latched onto her forearm, sharp nails digging into her flesh. "Careful how you speak to me, it might just end up being the last thing you do." And before Artemis could even utter out a single death threat, the dark haired boy was gone.

"Stupid, ugly little creep!" She muttered as she rubbed the four semi circles that were filling with blood. Great. Now she was definitely going to catch something. Who knows what that thing had crawled out from.

Once she'd unlocked her door, she was relieved that Wally was already asleep. His long legs tangled in the bedsheets, and because of the way he was spread out like a starfish, an arm was almost touching the floor.

Artemis raised an eyebrow, then turned off the light, practically leaping into bed. She let out a weary sigh and turned to face him. Her eyes wandered blindly until she could just about make out his face, and she snorted. A long line of dribble was hanging off his arm, mouth wide open as it continued to stream out.

"Urgh, that is so gross." She found herself whispering, her voice didn't hide her amusement.

Clearly, she needed to invest in buying him a pacifier to sleep with at night.

* * *

**Note: I'd just like to say that unfortunately I've never been to Central Park in my life, so obviously I had to use my imagination on this one. **


End file.
